“In what can only be considered brilliant politicking—and reckless policy—Netanyahu jettisoned Ya’alon and Herzog in favor of his former associate and bitter personal rival, Lieberman. Herzog is left wounded and humiliated, played for a fool—the gravest sin in Israeli political culture. Netanyahu finds himself at the helm of an enlarged coalition (Lieberman brings with him five members of Knesset, after one member of his faction left the party today in protest of the move), safer from parliamentary shocks and from attacks from the right (the whole right wing is now inside the coalition. Lieberman will still likely criticize Netanyahu from within the government, but not quite as fiercely).”
The Israeli minister of defense Moshe Yaalon resigned on Friday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved to replace him with a relatively hawkish and inexperienced politician. Yaalon, who had tempered Netanyahu’s sometimes contentious relationship with the Obama administration, warned of a growing extremism in Israel as he announced his resignation. "The State of Israel is patient and tolerant toward the weak among it and minorities,” said Yaalon in a televised address, “But to my great regret extremist and dangerous elements have overrun Israel as well as the Likud party, shaking up the national home and threatening harm to those in it." Just 27 percent of Israelis favor Avigdor Lieberman, Netanyahu’s presumptive nominee, as defense minister, while 51 percent think Yaalon is best suited for the job. Yaalon said in his address that he would return to “contend for Israel’s national leadership.” “Reckless politicking: Lieberman to be named Israel’s defense minister” (Natan Sachs, Markaz)
“In what can only be considered brilliant politicking—and reckless policy—Netanyahu jettisoned Ya’alon and Herzog in favor of his former associate and bitter personal rival, Lieberman. Herzog is left wounded and humiliated, played for a fool—the gravest sin in Israeli political culture. Netanyahu finds himself at the helm of an enlarged coalition (Lieberman brings with him five members of Knesset, after one member of his faction left the party today in protest of the move), safer from parliamentary shocks and from attacks from the right (the whole right wing is now inside the coalition. Lieberman will still likely criticize Netanyahu from within the government, but not quite as fiercely).”
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