Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense minister Ehud Barak released a joint statement on Saturday after a long meeting, saying that "the prime minister and defense minister have agreed to continue cooperating on the security challenges Israel faces." Prior to their meeting, Netanyahu said that he planed to ask Barak to explain certain "uncoordinated actions" the defense minister had reportedly committed recently, and instruct Barak to refrain from such actions in the future. The conflict between both leaders broke out after Barak's visit to New York last week. After the visit, Netanyahu accused Barak of undermining him by presenting himself as level-headed and responsible in the eyes of U.S. government officials while painting Netanyahu as irresponsible and rash. Netanyahu was additionally upset by a meeting Barak had reportedly held with former White House Chief of Staff and current Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel without coordinating it with the prime minister. Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said that "Netanyahu is due to demand clarifications from the U.S. government, regarding any unauthorized statements made by the defense minister that were committed against the prime minister's wishes." Regarding the meeting between the two leaders, the Prime Minister's Office said that "the prime minister plans on telling the defense minister that maintaining full coordination is essential for keeping the citizens of Israel safe, and will demand Barak promise that such occurrences will never repeat themselves." Barak's associates refuted Netanyahu's allegation, saying that Barak did not undermine him during his U.S. visit. "Barak has known Rahm Emanuel for 20 years and there is nothing unusual about their meeting, which the Israeli Consulate in Chicago was told about," sources close to Barak said. "The defense minister will continue to work for the citizens of Israel, and their safety in Israel and abroad. At his age and with his credentials, the defense minister does not get reprimanded by anyone, not even the prime minister." Gearing up toward possible early elections Earlier on Saturday, officials at the Prime Minister's Office said that an announcement regarding moving the elections up will be given by October 15, if the prime minister will indeed decide on such a move. This will adhere to the request made by Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud) not to reconvene the Knesset without knowing whether or not they are headed for early elections. According to a leading official within the Likud, at this stage the prime minister has yet to come to a final decision regarding early elections in February, though he had planned on it earlier. A different Likud official claimed that Netanyahu's decision will also be affected by the possibility that Republican candidate Mitt Romney will win the American elections. Under these circumstances, Netanyahu would rather remain in office until the end of his term. On Friday, Netanyahu met with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem. Lieberman, whose party Yisrael Beytenu is the second largest party in the coalition, discussed the option of early elections, and their meeting was said to have been positive. Lieberman said, "Yisrael Beytenu is willing to support a responsible budget, but at the moment it seems impossible to reach an agreement with all the different factions within the coalition regarding a responsible budget. If we are going to elections, this needs to be done as quickly as possible so as not to hinder the government's accomplishments in the economic and security fronts."
The message continued: "the defense minister is in agreement with the prime minister on all matters relating to Israel's response to the Iranian threat, as well as managing Israel's relationship with the United States, under the prime minister's leadership."
