Ya'alon announces 'timeout from politics,' promises return

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon stunned the political arena Friday by announcing his resignation on social media. In a statement he made later, Ya'alon stressed he was not exiting politics entirely and that he plans to vie for leadership roles in the future.

"I have informed the prime minister that following his conduct during recent developments I have lost faith in him. I will resign from the Knesset and take a timeout from politics," read the dramatic announcement, posted on Twitter and Facebook.

According to the Knesset's bylaws, Ya'alon's resignation will take effect in 48 hours. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will act as defense minister pending the nomination of Ya'alon's replacement, who most likely will be Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman.

Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, no. 33 on the Likud list, is slated to replace Ya'alon in the Knesset.

Ya'alon's resignation followed several weeks during which he and Netanyahu locked horns over several high-profile issues. A source close to the outgoing defense minister said the reports that Netanyahu planned to replace him with Lieberman proved the last straw.

Netanyahu reportedly spoke with Ya'alon Thursday and told him no final decision had been made. A senior Likud official said Netanyahu intended to appoint Ya'alon foreign minister, but would not announce this publicly until his negotiations with Lieberman were concluded. Ya'alon's associates said he was not offered the foreign affairs portfolio.

In a press conference held Friday, Ya'alon explained his decision to leave, saying,"I have informed the prime minister of my resignation from the government and the Knesset and that I'm taking a timeout from politics. I have no intention of quitting political or public life. I will return and I plan to vie for a position of leadership in the future.

"I have seen every one of my roles as a calling and I have never been willing to sacrifice Israel's security for political gain. I have worked harmoniously with the prime minister for a long time, especially during Operation Protective Edge, but unfortunately I found myself having serious disagreements with the prime minister and several ministers and MKs, on fundamental issues," he said.

"I fought with all my might against the phenomena of extremism, violence, and racism that threaten Israeli society's resilience, and have permeated even the military, to the point of undermining it. Overall, Israeli society is a healthy one, and the sane majority strives to maintain a Jewish, democratic, liberal state, accepting of everyone regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. But unfortunately, both Israel and Likud have been taken over by dangerous extremists, undercutting our home and threatening those in it. This is not the Likud party I joined, and the vast majority of Likud voters -- the sane and responsible public -- would be wise to understand the depths of the crisis and the violent spirit that has overtaken the movement.

"Unfortunately, prominent politicians have chosen to turn the various sectors in society against each other, rather than promote unity. I find it unbearable that we have become divided over cynicism and the lust for power, and I have said as much out of genuine concern for the future of Israeli society. The role of leadership is to lead in a moral and ethical way, even if it defies the way the wind is blowing; to chart the course, not get carried away by public opinion polls; and to denounce reckless and irresponsible discourse," Ya'alon said.

"All throughout, even during the most difficult times, I navigated Israel's defense and security with determination, responsibility, discretion, and reverence, understanding lives are at stake. Despite the turmoil in the Middle East, Israel today enjoys relative peace along its borders, unprecedented military power that generates deterrence among our enemies, and it has shared interests with our neighbors in the region. This is the result of the defense establishment's prudent policies.

"I do not regret my professional stance or my ethics, even if it seems they ended my term as defense minister. I am at peace with the path I have chosen to take and I will not deviate from it. I fear for Israel's future and I will continue to fight for it, because this is the only country we have."

Ya'alon did not take questions from reporters following his statement.

Speaking Thursday at a Defense Ministry conference for Israel's youth movements, Ya'alon criticized the Likud-Yisrael Beytenu negotiations, saying, "I can't say I was surprised at the fact that public servants express themselves on fundamental issues, which to me are matters to take for granted, in a way that might want to placate certain voices in society, but lack a moral compass on fundamental questions.

"It may seem that you're paying a price for it in the short term, that it's unpopular or not populist, that there are polls that say one thing or another, this is what I believe. You can navigate using a moral compass. It speaks to the question of leadership. What is leadership? Following the worship of the golden calf? There are plenty of cases throughout history of that happening. If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to navigate using a compass, not a weather vane."

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