Minister says Lieberman 'on his way out'
Politicians refuse to publicly comment on new affair involving foreign minister. 'The perception is that he is finished in any case, so there's no reason to call on him to resign,' government member explains
Nonetheless, the political arena has resumed its speculations over the expected changes in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition in case of an indictment against the foreign minister.
"Most of us are keeping quiet because of the perception that Lieberman is finished," a government minister said. "There is no reason to talk about him now or call on him to resign. He is on his way out in any case."
It is still unclear who will replace Lieberman if he is forced to resign. Sources close to Netanyahu reiterated Wednesday evening that the Foreign Ministry portfolio belonged to Yisrael Beiteinu and that the party would have to make the decision on Lieberman's replacement. "The political power is in their hands," said an associate of the prime minister.
One of the options raised is that Daniel Ayalon will remain deputy foreign minister and that the prime minister will be in charge of Israel's foreign affairs. Another option is that Ayalon would be promoted to foreign minister, or that Netanyahu and Lieberman would agree on a different person to serve as foreign minister.
Uncertainty over Yisrael Beiteinu
As for the coalition's stability, politicians have estimated that Yisrael Beiteinu will remain part of the coalition even if Lieberman is indicted. The foreign minister himself declared several weeks ago that he would resign from his party's leadership in case of an indictment, but that his party would remain part of the coalition until the end of its term.
So who will lead Yisrael Beiteinu? Since Lieberman is considered the party's only "landlord", who is solely responsible for the number of the party's Knesset seats, it is unlikely that he will cease his involvement in the party's affairs completely.
However, Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov and Knesset Member Faina Kirshenbaum have been mentioned as possible candidates to replace Lieberman, despite embarrassing reports on Misezhnikov's personal life. Minister Uzi Landau has also been mentioned as a potential candidate to head the party if Lieberman is forced to retire.
