Israeli War Minister Resigns
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman represents Israel’s belligerently racist hard right – endless war and apartheid ruthlessness his favored way of brutalizing long-suffering Palestinians, especially besieged Gazans.
According to Israeli media, he and three other Netanyahu regime security cabinet members rejected halting two days of IDF Gaza terror-bombing and cross-border ground shelling.
At noon on Wednesday local time, Lieberman met with other far-right Yisrael Beytenu (Israel Our Home) party officials. After the meeting, he resigned as Netanyahu’s war minister over the so-called agreed on ceasefire he opposes. See below.
If he pulls Yisrael Beytenu out of Netanyahu’s coalition regime, a paper-thin majority will remain, snap elections perhapd to follow early next year.
He’ll be the third war minister to leave Netanyahu. Ehud Barak and Moshe Ya’alon left earlier over major differences with the prime minister.
Lieberman urged all-out war on Gaza for the fourth time in the last decade, likely to be more devastating than earlier ones if launched, involving greater mass slaughter and destruction, civilians harmed most like every time before, tipping Gaza’s humanitarian crisis more over the edge than already.
Reportedly, Netanyahu and IDF commanders decided to focus attention on Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, not wanting another Gaza war at this time diverting attention from where they want Israel’s killing machine directed.
Lieberman and three other security cabinet members disagreed, including Naftali Bennett, Ze’ev Elkin, and Ayelet Shaked, putting them at odds with Netanyahu and IDF chiefs, according to Israeli Channel 10 television.
An unnamed minister was quoted saying Lieberman “is currently choosing between the end of his career if he stays in his position, and a slight chance of rehabilitating his public image if he resigns,” adding:
He was “incensed” by what Netanyahu and majority security cabinet ministers decided on Tuesday about Gaza.
A Netanyahu regime statement said “(t)he cabinet instructed the IDF to continue its strikes as needed.”
Separately, an unnamed Israeli official said the Jewish state “maintains its right to act. Requests from Hamas for a ceasefire came through four different mediators,” including Egypt and the UN.
“Israel responded that the events on the ground will” determine its next moves. Hadashot TV news said Egypt’s President el-Sissi urged Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire.
When ordered it’s always temporary – ahead of virtually certain more premeditated Israeli aggression, Hamas always wrongfully blamed for its high crimes.
Expect going forward to be no different from what happened many times before.
An Israeli permanent undeclared state of war exists on Gaza and all Palestinians, the way it’s always been for decades – this time no different than earlier.
A Final Comment
Shortly before 1:00PM local time, Israeli media reported that Liberman resigned, saying the following:
“I am here to announce my resignation as (war) minister of Israel,” angered over what he called Netanyahu’s “weak” response to Gaza rockets, fired in self-defense, following Israeli aggression, he failed to explain, adding:
“What happened yesterday with the ceasefire with Hamas was a capitulation to terror. There is no other word for it. We are buying short-term calm for long-term harm to security.”
Terror in the Occupied Territories is state-sponsored, not the other way around – Palestinians always wrongfully blamed for Israeli high crimes committed against them.
Note: Netanyahu will replace Lieberman as war minister, an unnamed Likud party source saying there’s “no need to go to elections at this time of sensitive security.”
Lieberman called for them “as soon as possible, saying “I hope that in talks between party heads on Sunday we will reach an agreement on a date for election.”
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
