Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that he had decided to appoint Major General Yaakov Amidror to head the National Security Council following the resignation of the current head Dr. Uzi Arad.

Amidror has served as head of research for the Military Intelligence branch of the Israeli army and until recently served as vice president of the Lander Institute in Jerusalem.

The appointment of Amidror, who is known for his hawkish political views, comes at the sensitive time for Netanyahu as he is preparing to launch a new diplomatic move aimed at breaking the deadlock on direct peace negotiation with the Palestinians.

"Amidror is not afraid to speak his mind professionally," Netanyahu said in a statement Wednesday. "He has a great deal of knowledge and experience in military areas, security and strategy. "

Before Amidror can assume his responsibilities, the Civil Service Commission and the legal adviser to the Prime Minister's Office need to determine that there are no conflicts of interest in his appointment, and then the cabinet will vote on the matter.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has invited the right wing National Union party to join his government.

Analysts that spoke to Xinhua were divided on the importance of the appointment of Amidror and its larger policy implications.

IDEOLOGICAL CRITICISM

If the choice of Amidror is confirmed, he will join a team of close advisers to Netanyahu that includes Isaac Molho who is in charge of negotiations with the Palestinians and Ron Dermer who coordinates contacts with the American administration.

In wake of the announcement of the appointment, several Israeli left wing intellectuals sent a letter to the Foreign Affairs and Defense committee of the Israeli Knesset (parliament) arguing that Amidror was unfit for the position.

The letter mentions that Amidror has been quoted as saying that a soldier who refuses to attack an enemy in combat should be shot. The remark has been brought up before, and Amidror has said that was taken out of context and was being used to discredit him.

Prof. Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University told Xinhua that he didn' t see the appointment of Amidror as a significant event or as symbolizing a major policy change by Netanyahu.

"He is an extremely capable person and extremely knowledgeable, " Inbar said, "his military career prepared him for this job."

Inbar said that the personal political view of Amidror and his predecessor Uzi Arad were not that important. Furthermore, Inbar said, those who oppose his appointment are doing this for ideological reason and not because they don't think he is qualified for the job.

"Moreover, the personal political views of the advisers are not necessarily what influence the prime minister; he is a civil servant," Inbar said.

IMPORTANT SIGNAL

Dr. Neve Gordon, from the department of politics and government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev said that the appointment of Amidror and the invitation to the National Union party to join the government, shows that Netanyahu is not interested in peace, but is more concerned with upholding the status quo with the Palestinians.

"Netanyahu is going to have to make a decision on what kind of politics he wants to promote," Gordon said.

"It seems that he is making a decision to satisfy the extreme right constituency in Israel. Instead of following the direction of what the international community is saying," Gordon said.

He added that there is a possibility that Netanyahu is playing a double game, by asking a right-wing party to join his government - and then offering a more conciliatory speech.

"What is clear is that Netanyahu's advisor and the people he wants in the government are people that are against peace," Gordon said.

He pointed out that just a couple of weeks ago Amidror wrote an article in which he said that there was no point in talking peace with the Palestinians.

DIPLOMATIC CRUNCH TIME

Amidror holds significant right-wing views, and has allegedly dismissed the establishment of a Palestinian state. The possible inclusion of three or four National Union members in the government comes at a sensitive time.

The National Union has reportedly demanded that Netanyahu make a public declaration that he intends to launch a large-scale building program in both western and eastern Jerusalem, as well as in the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, located just east of the city on the West Bank. Whether the right-wing party will join the government hinges on Netanyahu's reaction.

But such a statement would run contrary to the views of the United States, which sees the settlements as an obstacle to peace. The Palestinians have made clear that they won't come back to the negotiation table if settlement building continues in West Bank and East Jerusalem.

If Netanyahu makes the announcement that the National Union demands, it would also cast shadow on his new peace plan, which he is expected to deliver during his U.S. tour in the coming months.

Netanyahu is reportedly under considerable pressure from the U. S., to formulate a new diplomatic initiative to restart negotiations. The intensified pressure come after the U.S. used its veto three weeks ago to block a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemns Israeli settlements.