What Happened: Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri have called for the country to hold early elections in the wake of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's resignation, The Times of Israel reported Nov. 15.
Why It Matters: The calls from two ministers will make it increasingly difficult for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid calling new elections. However, it is an especially inopportune time for Netanyahu to call elections because a recent cease-fire with Gaza was widely decried as ineffective. Accordingly, Netanyahu could well lose his hold on power, meaning he would take his key contacts with the United States and Gulf states with him.
Background: Lieberman's surprise resignation has left Netanyahu's coalition close to collapse and increased the likelihood that the country will hold elections before November 2019, when elections are currently scheduled.
Read More:
- A Gaza Cease-Fire Threatens Israel's Government (Nov. 15, 2018)
- Who Would Replace Netanyahu? (March 7, 2018)
- Israel, Palestinian Territories: Conflict Intensifies in the Gaza Strip (July 20, 2018)
