'Extremist govt'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suffered his second cabinet resignation in a week yesterday when a minister quit over the appointment of a hardline nationalist in the "extremist government".
Environment minister Avi Gabbay announced his resignation in a strongly worded statement that accused Netanyahu of putting the country on a path to ruin.
Gabbay said that he was "unable to swallow" Netanyahu's decision to take the defence portfolio from former general Moshe Yaalon and hand it to Avigdor Lieberman, who has pledged harsh measures against Palestinian "terrorists".
Yaalon resigned from the government a week ago in protest, warning of a rising tide of extremism in the party and the country as a whole.
"I could not accept the removal of Yaalon, a professional and thoughtful defence minister," Gabbay said.
"The country of course has the right to have a government of the right or left," he added. "But I do not think it is right... to form an extremist government."
"We must stop the process which I fear will lead to our ruin."
Gabbay, of the centre-right Kulanu party, is not a member of parliament and his resignation does not affect the ruling rightwing coalition's majority.
Co-opting Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu party will add five lawmakers to Netanyahu's previously wafer-thin majority if the coalition deal is given parliamentary approval next week as expected.
Comments