The European Union voiced concern at the inclusion of Avigdor Lieberman in Israel’s coalition government. The E.U.’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, noted during a visit to Israel on Thursday that Lieberman has spoken out against dismantling West Bank settler outposts despite the government’s obligation to do so under the U.S.-led “road map” peace plan. “I am very concerned by the words of an Israeli minister who said that outposts and settlements would not be touched,” Solana told reporters. Solana met Lieberman in Jerusalem on Wednesday for fence-mending talks, but made a point of saying that he had disagreed with the views of Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, “my entire life.” Yisrael Beiteinu has called for annexing parts of the West Bank and redrawing Israel’s borders in several places to exclude Israeli Arabs. Solana also said “the road map is still alive” despite the diplomatic dead end reached when Palestinians elected a Hamas government in January.
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