The AP reports: Olmert Brings Hard-Liner Into Government

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday brought into his government a hard-liner who wants to rid Israel of Arabs – a move that would shore up his shaky coalition but could hinder efforts to renew peace talks with the Palestinians.

Avigdor Lieberman, who leads the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said he hoped the deal to join Olmert’s governing coalition would be signed by Tuesday.

Yisrael Beiteinu, or “Israel Our Home,” brings 11 lawmakers into the coalition, giving Olmert control of 78 of 120 seats in the Knesset, or parliament…

Lieberman, 48, has a long record of hawkish positions toward the Palestinians…

He has also taken a tough line toward Israel’s own Arab minority.

He advocates trading Israeli Arab towns for West Bank settlements – in effect stripping Israeli Arabs of citizenship – and recently called for the execution of Israeli Arab lawmakers who met with leaders of Hamas, the ruling Palestinian group sworn to Israel’s destruction. Such positions have drawn accusations of racism.

But with his coalition weakened by infighting and harsh criticism of his handling of the Lebanon war, Olmert had little choice…

I know, I know, what are a few Arabs (including many Christian Arabs) and a little racism in comparison to holding on to power? These folks are expert in turning politics into an immoral exercise.

Many of history’s most notorious mass murderers also said that they had little choice.