Israel defence minister quits over Gaza truce

Jerusalem, November 14

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman today announced his resignation in protest to a Gaza ceasefire that he called a “capitulation to terror”, weakening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative coalition government.

“Were I to stay in office, I would not be able to look southern residents in the eye,” Lieberman said, referring to Israelis subjected to a surge in Palestinian rocket attacks before Tuesday’s truce took hold.

Lieberman said his resignation, which will go into effect 48 hours after he submits a formal letter to Netanyahu, also withdraws his far-right Yisrael Beitenu party from the coalition.

With Lieberman’s party holding five seats in the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu’s ruling coalition will be left with just 61 seats. Elections are not due until November 2019, but Lieberman’s resignation increases the likelihood of an earlier vote.

Political commentators speculated that Netanyahu, who despite his approval ratings has been dogged by multiple corruption investigations, might bring forward the ballot.

They also saw in Lieberman’s decision to quit a bid to poach votes from Netanyahu and far-right cabinet rival Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party, ahead of an election.

But a spokesman for his rightist Likud party played down that option, saying Netanyahu would assume the defence post. The cracks in the coalition could soon widen with calls for Bennett, now education minister, to succeed Lieberman as defence chief. Bennett did not immediately comment. — Agencies

UN Security Council meets on violence

United Nations: The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip but there was no agreement on how to address the crisis, diplomats said. Kuwait, which represents Arab countries at the council, and Bolivia requested the meeting following the worst flare-up in Gaza since the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel. AFP