Rory Jones, wsj.com
Image from article, with caption: Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon announces his resignation during a news conference in Tel Aviv on Friday.
Excerpt:
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon resigned Friday from what is widely considered Israel’s second-most powerful position, amid maneuvering by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shore up his coalition.
Mr. Ya’alon, a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud Party, said in a Facebook post Friday that he decided to step down after the prime minister moved this past week to negotiate with the ultranationalist lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman, reportedly offering him the defense ministry. ...
Some observers said the move to appoint Mr. Lieberman would be damaging to Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts due his hawkish stance.
“Putting in Avigdor Lieberman is a colossal mistake from a public diplomacy perspective,” said Mitchell Barak, an Israeli political analyst who has worked with the prime minister. But Mr. Netanyahu “shores up his political base.” ...