Israel’s defense minister resigns
As part of those negotiations, Netanyahu is believed to have offered the position of defense minister to Avigdor Lieberman, the head of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party.
There had been speculation that Yaalon, who described himself as “fearful for Israel’s future” and who will also be leaving parliament, would be offered the post of foreign minister as a sort of consolation prize. His announcement, first posted on Facebook and then on Twitter, puts an end to that possibility.
“This morning I informed the prime minister that following his management in the latest developments, and in light of my lack of faith in him, I am resigning from the government and the Knesset and taking time out from political life,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
The addition of Lieberman to the government would not represent an enormous right-wing shift for Netanyahu’s coalition. Yaalon is at the center-right of the political spectrum, and he has served as a bulwark against the most extreme populist sentiments criticizing the military and the Likud coalition.
The possible change to the government could represent a shift for the voices closest to the prime minister, but it is unclear how much immediate influence the presumptive new defense minister would have on the government.
“I viewed all my positions, both when I was in uniform and as a minister, as a mission, and I was unwilling to sacrifice national needs and the security of Israel’s citizens for the sake of political considerations or personal interest,” Yaalon said at news conference later Friday.
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