International News

JERUSALEM, (APP/AFP) – Israeli environment
minister Avi Gabbay announced his resignation on Friday, saying
the appointment of a hardline nationalist as defence minister
had created an “extremist government”.
Gabbay said that he was “unable to swallow” Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to take the defence portfolio from
former general Moshe Yaalon and hand it to Avigdor Lieberman, who
has pledged harsh measures against Palestinian.
Yaalon resigned from the government a week ago in protest,
warning of a rising tide of extremism in the party and the country
as a whole.
“I could not accept the removal of Yaalon, a professional
defence minister,” Gabbay said.
“The country has the right to have a rightwing government,”
he added. “But I do not think it is right to form an extremist
government.