Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Friday, 12 Iyar announced that he is stepping down from his senior cabinet post and resigning from Knesset. He cited the he feels Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu no longer has faith in him and decided to respond by calling it quits.

In his noon press conference, the senior outgoing minister added “This morning I informed the Prime Minister that I am resigning from the government and the Knesset. I have no intention of leaving the country’s political life and in the future I will return to compete for the leadership of the Israeli public.

“Unfortunately, I found myself with serious ethical controversies with the Prime Minister, ministers and several members of Knesset. Differences also permeate the IDF and have already impacted it. I was unwilling to sacrifice the security of Israeli citizens in favor of political considerations. Unfortunately, fundamentalist elements have taken over our country and our party. This is not the Likud movement I joined”.

Ya’alon added that he entered the Knesset as a shlichus and always kept the defense of the nation as his paramount mission. He emphasized that doing what he perceived to be in the best interest of the nation always dictated his actions above any and all other considerations.

Some excerpts from the press conference from the outgoing DM:

“I worked with harmony and in a serious and substantive appreciation with the Prime Minister for a long period of time, especially during Operation Protective Edge and I thanked him.

“Unfortunately, I found myself recently with serious ethical and professional disputes with the Prime Minister…I fought with all my might against the effects of extremism, violence and racism in Israeli society that threaten the strength and permeate the IDF. I fought with all my might against attempts to harm the Supreme Court and the judges of Israel…Israeli society is a health society and the sane majority yearns for a Jewish, democratic, liberal state – a state that accepts any person without regard of religion, race, gender, ethnic origin or sexual orientation”.

The response to Ya’alon’s comments is widespread, including party colleague Minister Ze’ev Elkin who questions Ya’alon’s decision saying “If the issue was indeed one of ideology why did he wait for this day to announce his resignation”, questioning the integrity of Ya’alon’s statements and subsequent decision.

Members of the opposition by-and-large accuse PM Netanyahu of placing his agenda ahead of the nation’s security. Members of the coalition are by-and-large remaining silent other than commending Ya’alon and his professionalism during his tenure in office.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)