Former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon says the Israeli government needs to stop “scaring” citizens on matters on security.
He doubles down on his statement that Israel does not currently face any “existential threats.”
“As I already said a few weeks ago… there is currently no existential threat to Israel, and the national leadership ought to stop scaring citizens,” he says. “Israel is the strongest country in the region, and its security establishment… is high-quality, advanced, and powerful. There are security threats and we must seriously prepare for them. There are challenges and security concerns, certainly.”
The veteran ex-Likud minister hints again that he will challenge Netanyahu in the next election for the premiership.
“With my resignation from the Knesset and coalition, I announced that I would run for the leadership in the next elections,” he says. “When I was drafted into the IDF, I didn’t plan on being an officer, and when I returned to [military] service after the Yom Kippur War, I didn’t think I would be IDF chief of staff. Along the way, I never imagined I would be defense minister.”
Outgoing Defense Minister and Likud member, Moshe Ya’alon, speaks at a press conference in which he announces his resignation from the Knesset, in the Kirya, the Tel Aviv IDF headquarters, on May 20, 2016. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
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