ISRAEL ON ELECTION WATCH AFTER MINISTER QUITS.
Lieberman angry over ceasefire with Hamas
JERUSALEM • Israel appeared to be hurtling towards early elections Wednesday after the defence minister resigned and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “surrendering to terror” by agreeing to a truce with Hamas.
The resignation of Avigdor Lieberman, a hawkish member of Netanyahu’s coalition, leaves the government with just a one-seat majority that could collapse if other parties also quit.
Netanyahu’s allies said he planned to take over the defence ministry himself, meaning he would simultaneously serve as Israel’s prime minister, defence minister, foreign minister and health minister.
However, Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Jewish Home party, demanded the defence job for himself and threatened to bring down the government if he was not given the post.
A day of high political drama began when Lieberman resigned Wednesday afternoon over Netanyahu’s decision to accept a ceasefire with Hamas after 24 hours of intense fighting. Lieberman said the government should confront the Islamist militant group more forcefully, even if it meant suffering more rocket fire into Israeli cities. He heads Yisrael Beiteinu, a secular right-wing party that draws its support mainly from Israel’s Russian population.
“What happened yesterday — the truce combined with the process with Hamas — is surrendering to terror,” Lieberman said. “What we’re doing now as a state is buying short-term quiet, with the price being severe long-term damage to national security.”
He then withdrew his five Yisrael Beiteinu MPs from Netanyahu’s coalition, which now has only 61 seats in the 120-member parliament. Lieberman also called for early elections.
Netanyahu had been bracing for attacks from the right since agreeing to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire deal on Tuesday, ending the fighting that left one person dead in Israel and seven dead in Gaza.
Residents of the southern city of Sderot burnt tires and blocked the streets in protest at the deal, saying that Israel was being held hostage by Hamas.
Speaking prior to the resignation, Netanyahu said: “I hear the voices of the residents of the south.
“But together with the heads of the security forces, I see the overall picture of Israel’s security, which I cannot share with the public.”
With Lieberman’s departure, Netanyahu likely will call for new elections to shore up his support. Political analysts have long suspected him of wanting to hold elections before his full term in office ends in another year.
Even though he heads a stable, right-wing coalition, a win might help distract attention from the ongoing criminal investigations against him, which look set to bring an indictment that could possibly lead to a trial.
Israeli officials’ reluctance to acknowledge a ceasefire underscores the delicate balancing act they face as they try to reach a long-term agreement with Hamas.
Israel and Hamas have fought three deadly wars in 10 years, with flare-ups becoming increasingly frequent in recent months as Hamas has urged residents to protest at the fence along the border with Israel.