As he takes his leave, Liberman calls for keeping IDF out of partisan politics

In his last visit with the IDF top brass as defense minister, Avigdor Liberman calls for keeping the military out of partisan debates.

“There’s a consensus in Israel about two things: The Western Wall and the IDF. It’s the most agreed-upon thing that I know of in Israeli society. I have tried with all my strength, at least on this issue, to be supportive, to keep the army out of the political debate,” he says during the meeting with the IDF General Staff in the army’s Tel Aviv headquarters.

Yesterday, Liberman announced he was resigning as defense minister, citing mainly disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the country’s policies toward Hamas and Gaza.

He was especially critical of Israel’s actions during this week’s battle with terror groups in the Strip, which ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday evening.

Liberman stressed that he had taken issue with the government’s policies, not with the military’s actions during the intense fighting.

As a parting gift, the General Staff gave Liberman a commando knife in a decorative box.

— Judah Ari Gross