Israel polls likely after Lieberman resignation

The Israeli regime’s defence minister officially submitted his resignation yesterday, leaving the government with the narrowest of parliamentary majorities and paving what looks like a clear path to early elections.

Avigdor Lieberman dispatched a one-sentence letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, informing him of his decision to step down. The move, which takes effect in 48 hours, leaves Netanyahu with the support of just 61 out of 120 lawmakers.

With other coalition partners also flexing their muscles and the opposition parties demanding an early election, the days of Netanyahu’s current government seem to be numbered.

Lieberman’s abrupt resignation came in protest to a ceasefire reached with Hamas that ended two days of intense Israeli attacks on Gaza.

The hardliner had demanded a far harsher Israeli response to the widest wave of Gaza rocket fire against Israel since a 50-day war in 2014, but was overruled by Netanyahu.

In his live TV announcement on Wednesday, Lieberman lashed out the government’s weakness and termed the cease-fire “surrender to terrorism.”