Netanyahu Made the Right Call on Gaza
Whatever the political price Bibi pays for the cease-fire, he correctly judged that peace with Hamas will allow Israel to deal with bigger threats.
Bibi believes these are no more than a nuisance.
Photographer: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images
The resignation of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman marks the unofficial opening of the election season in Israel. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a full year before elections must be held, the departure of the five MPs from Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party leaves the governing coalition with the slimmest possible majority — 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset — and vulnerable to more defections.
Lieberman, declaring Netanyahu’s cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza as “surrendering to terror,” is demanding early elections, and other opposition figures may follow. Netanyahu was reported to be contemplating an early vote; now, he may be pushed to do so. Recent polls suggest the prime minister is in a strong position to win, but the campaign could get ugly.