Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has attracted his share of opprobrium, yet it seems the right-wing nationalist statesman has found support in the most unlikely of corners.
According to the Maariv newspaper, a Bedouin resident of Ashkelon, who describes himself as Lieberman’s biggest fan, believes that the Yisrael Beiteinu party chairman is the only hope for peace in the region.
Sami Abu Ghnam, 54, has decorated the walls of his Ashkelon home with countless posters of the Moldovan-born minister’s robust countenance.
He says Lieberman’s stance on Arabs is subject to misinterpretation. “It is not true that he is against my community,” Maariv quoted Abu Ghnam as saying. “Lieberman is simply pro-Israel. What is he asking? Loyalty from the state’s citizens. Is this too much to ask? No.”
Abu Ghnam served in IDF in the 1980s and the two eldest of his nine children serve in select combat units. He hopes to run for Knesset, as part of Yisrael Beiteinu.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Abu Ghnam added that the Arab MKs do not represent him and unnecessarily incite nationalism among Israeli Arabs. “Deep inside, the Israeli Arabs have grown sick of politicians,” he said. “They know that only Lieberman is a true politician, not a hypocrite.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
