Nationalist foreign minister to be point man for U.S.-Israel dialogue

He’s controversial, his party came in a surprise third place in Israeli elections, and he’s probably not the guy the Obama administration would share many views with when it comes to the Mideast peace process. But on Sunday, Israel Beiteinu leader and foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman is likely to receive cabinet approval to become minister in charge of Israel’s strategic dialogue with the U.S.

Lieberman, you may remember reading on The Hill yesterday, has proposed a three-month limit on U.S. talks with Iran until more “concrete steps” are taken against the Islamic Republic. Obama, of course, is insistent on his plans for diplomatic outreach with Iran.

Suffice to say, with Lieberman in charge of dialogue with the U.S., this could get very interesting.