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Political
Crisis In Israel: Defense Minister Resigns, Slams Netanyahu For
"Surrendering to Hamas"
14
November, 2018
"If
Lieberman resigns, Netanyahu will dissolve the
Knesset" — report senior
Israeli government sources following a formal announcement by
Lieberman confirming he has quit his post as defense minister.
Minister
of Defense Avigdor Lieberman resigned his post after a dramatic
escalation in Gaza since Sunday's controversial Israeli special
forces assassination raid on a top Hamas commander, sparking a
political crisis in Israel. He made a formal announcement of his
exit Wednesday during a televised news conference.
In
a rare public fissure over defense strategy Lieberman slammed Prime
Minister Netanyahu for "surrendering to Hamas terror" over
the prime minister agreeing to a ceasefire deal with Hamas on
Tuesday. The ceasefire went into effect after two days of a record
number of rockets fired out of Gaza, with the AP
reporting 460
rockets and mortars in a 24-hour period,
and an Israeli response of pummeling 160 Gaza targets.
Israel's Haaretz further
indicated Lieberman was enraged over a recent statement
from Netanyahu's office, which falsely
indicated that he was fully behind the prime minister's push for a
ceasefire with Hamas.
Lieberman
has also lately clashed with other officials over allowing
Qatar to transfer $15m in humanitarian funds to Gaza,
and granting Qatar access to supplying fuel operations in the
strip. According to the outgoing defense chief, he was the only
minister who took a stance against transferring funds to Hamas in a
security cabinet meeting two weeks ago. He's
competed with others within his own governing coalition over who's
more hawkish on Gaza.
"If
I were to continue as defense minister I wouldn't be able
to look the residents of the south in the eye," he
said,
according to the The Jerusalem Post, referencing Tuesday's
ceasefire with Hamas. "This
will severely harm our security in the long term," he
added in comments directed at Netanyahu and his supporters.
"What
we're doing now as a state is buying short-term quiet, with the
price being severe long-term damage to national security,"
Lieberman said.
Lieberman
announced further that his Yisrael Beitenu (Israel Our Home)
party, which holds five seats in the 120-seat parliament, would
leave the governing coalition and requested that new elections be
held: "We
should agree on a date for elections as early
as possible," he
said.
It's
a major blow to Netanyahu and Israel's ruling coalition that's being
described as nothing short of a huge crisis. It's
further the domestic
blowback of the weekend's adventurism in Gaza which
led to Hamas successfully destroying an IDF bus with an anti-tank
rocket.
An anti-tank guided missile (Kornet) and an IED fired by #Gaza #Palestinians hit the heart of @netanyahu and is bringing down his government:#Israel defence minister Liberman resigned.
Hamas
meanwhile is claiming victory after breaking news of the defense
minister's impending resignation, calling it in an official statement
a "political
victory for Gaza."
Hamas
spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri described Avigdor Lieberman's
resignation Wednesday as the "recognition of defeat and failure
to confront the Palestinian resistance." He said "Gaza's
steadfastness sent a political shockwave" in Israel.
It's
certainly a rare moment when it's the Palestinian side that can sit
back and watch political chaos unfold in Tel Aviv. It's also rare to
see Netanyahu get out-hawked by his own former allies and defense
officials.
Chaos
In Israel: Are Bibi's Days Numbered?
RonPaulLibertyReport
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