BICOM

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beitenu Party yesterday announced that he was ending its partnership with the Likud Party, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The two parties formed an alliance shortly before the January 2013 election, running a joint list of candidates which secured 31 seats as the largest Knesset faction. Although operating as a single Likud-Beitenu faction since then, the two parties have retained separate bodies and agendas. Yesterday though, Lieberman announced that “The differences with the prime minister do not enable our continued partnership,” in apparent reference to Netanyahu’s insistence that action over Gaza should be taken “responsibly and with equanimity, not hastily.” Lieberman has advocated a widespread military operation in Gaza, in response to the escalating rocket fire.

However, Lieberman made clear that their differences were long standing, commenting yesterday “The partnership did not work during the elections, it did not work after the elections and to this day there were quite a few technical issues. When technical issues turn to fundamental ones there is no point in continuing.” He maintained, “I am not attacking the prime minister” but that “Our voice is different than that of the Likud and we have to make it heard.”

Lieberman also clarified that Yisrael Beitenu will remain within the coalition. However, the end of the partnership with Likud will likely make Netanyahu’s control over his government more precarious. His Likud Party has 20 seats, just one more than Yair Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid. Yisrael Beitenu, which now becomes an independent faction, is the fourth largest party with 11 seats.

Several commentators in the Israeli media have said that the end of Likud-Beitenu was only a matter of time. The powerful Likud Central Committee had already expressed its disapproval of a closer alliance with Lieberman’s party. A Likud source told Haaretz that Lieberman’s announcement was an attempt to “rehabilitate his crashing poll numbers.” Chief commentator at Israel Radio, Chico Manashe called it a clear “political move.”