Israeli Defense Minister Resigns, Citing 'Lack of Faith' in Prime Minister

JERUSALEM, Israel – Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon resigned from the Knesset on Friday, citing a "lack of faith" in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ya'alon's decision followed Netanyahu's announcement Thursday that former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is our Home) Party, would be given the Defense portfolio and other the ministerial posts upon joining the government.

"I informed the prime minister this morning that following his recent actions and developments and given the lack of faith in him, I am resigning from the government and the Knesset and taking a break from political life," Ya'alon posted on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, YNet reported.

A few hours later, Ya'alon spoke candidly at a press conference from Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.

"In all my actions and decisions, I saw before my eyes the security of the state and its good above every other consideration," Ya'alon said. "I found myself in difficult political arguments with the prime minister over core values."

He also said the Likud Party has been taken over by "fundamentalist influences."

"It's not the same Likud that I joined," he said. "A spirit of fracturing is ruling the movement."

Ya'alon closed by saying he would return at a future date "to contend for Israel's national leadership."

The vacancy in the Likud's 31-member mandate paved the way for Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick to enter the government. Glick held the 31st spot in the Likud lineup.

Glick survived an attempted assassination in October 2014. Israeli security forces tracked the suspect, a member of Islamic Jihad, to a predominantly Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem. He was killed after opening fire on Israeli forces.