Bennett gives Netanyahu ultimatum over Liberman

Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett  Flash 90
Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett Flash 90

Naftali Bennett says he will not approve Avigdor Liberman's apointment as defense minister unless his demands concerning the security cabinetare met.

The battle over the military secretary to the Israeli government's security cabinet has escalated. Habayit Hayehudi chairman and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett this morning sharpened his demand for the appointment of a special military secretary to the cabinet members, whose task will be to provide updates to them at least once a week. "Our demand is simple: that the cabinet should stop being blind," Bennett wrote on his Facebook page, adding, "The members should receive a full, uncensored picture of all fronts." Bennett further wrote that the members of the cabinet should undergo training, and receive relevant materials before every session.

The Habayit Hayehudi party made clear last week that it was presenting its demands as an ultimatum, and that unless they were met it would not approve the appointment of Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman as minister of defense.

Bennett stressed that his demand was not new, and that he had pursued it with the prime minister discretely for two years, but that no progress had been made. He said that the inability of the security cabinet to make informed decisions had cost the lives of soldiers and civilians in Israel's recent conflicts.

At the end of last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had appointed a team under former national security advisor Yaakov Amidror to discuss Bennett's demands and submit recommendations within three weeks. Habayit Hayehudi has nevertheless continued to attack Netanyahu, saying "No spin by the prime minister will save human lives, certainly not another inconsequential committee such as he is wont to set up from time to time."

Meanwhile, on Friday, Minister of Environmental Protection Avi Gabbay resigned from the government in protest at the appointment of Avigdor Liberman as defense minister. Gabbay said at a press conference, "I could not swallow Liberman's appointment as defense minister. I could not come to terms with the dismissal of Moshe Ya'alon." Gabbay, who is not a member of Knesset and was an appointee of Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon, accused the government of having "completely wrecked relations with the world's most important power" and said it had divided the nation and "attacked our the army".

Gabbay, a former CEO of Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ), was the only minister to vote against the revised gas framework agreement with the gas exploration companies. "I saw at close quarters how the most important economic decision of the past decade was made on the basis of inadequate information and a lack of basic understanding of economics, of powerful spin behind which is weakness and feebleness in the face of vested interests," he said.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 29, 2016

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2016

Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett  Flash 90
Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett Flash 90
Twitter Facebook Linkedin RSS Newsletters גלובס Israel Business Conference 2018