Liberman calls dramatic press conference; will he resign over Gaza?
"The statement about Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's alleged support for stopping the attacks in Gaza is fake news. The defense minister's stand is consistent and has not changed."
By CASSANDRA GOMES-HOCHBERGUpdated: NOVEMBER 14, 2018 12:29Avigdor Liberman speaks at a press conference, October 22, 2018(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced that he would hold a special press conference Wednesday following Tuesday's security cabinet's decision to reach a cease-fire with Hamas.Israeli media is speculating that Liberman may announce his resignation from his post.After reaching the unofficial Egyptian-brokered cease-fire, the Prime Minister's Office announced that cabinet ministers had unanimously agreed to the decision.Four ministers, however, announced that they had opposed the cease-fire — Liberman, Jerusalem Affairs Minister and Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi)."The statement about Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's alleged support for stopping the attacks in Gaza is fake news," Liberman's office said in response to the Prime Minister's Office announcement. "The defense minister's stand is consistent and has not changed."Weeks earlier, during a meeting of his Yisrael Beytenu faction, Liberman called for a stronger approach to Hamas. “There is no path to an agreement with Hamas," he said. "We will not restore quiet and calm to the South without dealing the most severe blow we can.”
