Lieberman responds to the accusations 

“If I am indicted, I will resign”

JERUSALEM – Corruption, fraud, money laundering, intimidation of witnesses and obstacles to justice. The list of crimes that the Israeli police are disputing with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the controversial leader of the extreme right-wing Israel Beitenu, is a long one. Who today says he will resign both from his institutional post and as a parliamentarian if Attorney General Menahem Mazuz “decides to incriminate me”. 

Liberman, however, does not renounce defending himself from the accusation of having recycled money received from two businessmen in exchange for some favors that he would have granted them between 2001 and 2004, when he was Minister of the Sharon government. 

After speaking of a police “persecution campaign” yesterday, he reiterates today: “I would return to action exactly as I did in the past. If after my possible hearing with the attorney general, he will decide for the indictment, there is no doubt that I will immediately resign “, specifying that he would leave both the foreign minister’s seat and – later – that of leader of Israel Beitenu, today the third party in parliament and the second in importance in the coalition of Benyamin Netanyahu. 

“But my assessment – he added – is that I will remain in my current duties even in a year, even between two”. In his opinion, Israel Beitenu is destined to strengthen and surpass, in the next political elections, the threshold of 20 seats, or one-sixth of the parliament. 

August 3 2009