Liberman’s Deputy Set to Go Too

The resignation of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman will have immediate ramifications within the ministry, as the law requires that when a minister resigns, his deputy must also depart.

That means Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan will have resign by Friday, his office confirmed to The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

However, since Ben-Dahan is not a member of Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party, he remains in the coalition, for the time being at least, with his Jewish Home party.

As such, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who automatically assumed the defense portfolio on Wednesday, would have the option of reinstating Ben-Dahan.

If not, Netanyahu will be the first prime minister in Israeli history to hold the defense and foreign ministry portfolios while serving as prime minister.