The Scotsman

Netanyahu takes on defence post amid calls for early election

- By TIA GOLDENBERG newsdeskts@scotsman.com

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken on the defence minister’s portfolio and rejected calls to dissolve his government, despite early elections appearing increasing­ly likely.

Mr Netanyahu said heading to elections now, amid repeated violent confrontat­ions with Gaza militants, was “irresponsi­ble” of his coalition partners, who have been pushing for early polls since the resignatio­n of defence minister Avigdor Lieberman last week.

“Today I take on for the first time the position of defence minister,” said Mr Netanyahu, speaking from Israel’s defence headquarte­rs in Tel Aviv in a statement broadcast live at the start of the evening news.

“We are in one of the most complex security situations and during a period like this you don’t topple a government. During a period like this you don’t go to elections.”

The coalition crisis was sparked by the resignatio­n of the hawkish Mr Lieberman, who had demanded a far stronger response to the biggest wave of rocket attacks on Israel since the 2014 war with Hamas.

He claims the ceasefire agreement reached with Gaza’s Hamas rulers will put southern Israel under a growing threat from the group, similar to that posed to northern Israel by Lebanon’s heavily armed Hezbollah group.

The departure of Mr Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu party leaves the coalition with a one-seat majority in the 120-member parliament.

Mr Netanyahu’s other partners say that makes governing untenable and would leave the coalition vulnerable to the extortion of any single MP until elections scheduled for November 2019.

Education minister Naftali Bennett, of the pro-settler Jewish Home party, had already threatened to bring down the government if he was not appointed defence minister. He and justice minister Ayelet Shaked, also of Jewish Home, are set to give a statement today. If the party leaves the coalition, it would strip Mr Netanyahu of his parliament­ary majority.

Finance minister Moshe Kahlon, another senior partner, says another year of such instabilit­y will harm the economy. A meeting between him and Mr Netanyahu yesterday meant to convince Mr Kahlon to stay ended with no results.

Mr Netanyahu’s Likud allies are already preparing to pin the blame on coalition partners if the effort to salvage the government fails.

“I think there is no reason to shorten the term of a national government, not even for one day, and at this moment it’s in the hands of the education minister and the finance minister,” said Gilad Erdan, the minister of public security.

No Israeli government has served out its full term since 1988.

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