Ya'alon and Netanyahu
Photo: EPA
Ya'alon – popular with public, outcast in Likud
Defense minister turned to Netanyahu to seek assurances over his job security, but Likud officials say Protective Edge hurt his political standing.
In an unusual step, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for clarification over his future if the Likud stays in power after the elections in March.
"There is much appreciation for him," said one senior source in the party ahead of the primaries for the Knesset list, "but the right wing of Likud has a problem with him. They expected him to release certain blocks and restrictions created by Ehud Barak, they expected he would loosen the legal obstacles and help advance construction (in the settlements) – be he didn't do that."
According to political officials, advisors, and activists – as well as fellow Likud MKs – Ya'alon's standing in the right-wing faction has been hit by Operation Protective Edge last summer.
The defense minister, a popular figure among the Israeli public, has lost some of his sway in the Likud because of the perceptions surrounding the results of the last conflagration in Gaza.
Ya'alon and Netanyahu at Knesset (Photo: EPA)
The source added that there was widespread disappointment among conservatives in the Likud. "In the last war they had also expected different results from him. We had a two-month war against a terror organization, with a defense minister who worried about being on the ground. It created a deep dissatisfaction, and it is not improbable some would seek to settle the score."
A source familiar with public opinion among settlers in the West Bank said it was a possibility that Ya'alon would pay a political price for his conduct since his appointment as defense minister. "There are various groups in Judea and Samaria," said the source.
"There are more radical groups in Judea and Samaria who think he was not sympathetic, that he destroyed several outposts. There is a chance they will settle the score in the primaries, and they have prepared accordingly. There is also the possibility that Feiglin's supporters will come after him."
Netanyahu, Gantz, and Ya'alon (Photo: GPO)
In a conversation with Netanyahu, Ya'alon asked for an explanation of the rumors circulating that the defense ministry would be passed to Bayit Yehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett after the elections; the prime minister refused to make a commitment.
"For the first time in a long time, it looks like Ya'alon finally left the Kirya," said one notable Likud MK, "But the probability that he would be defense minister in the next government is slim. Because on one hand if the Likud leads the next coalition, it will be with a number of seats that require – almost certainly – the handing off of senior portfolios to coalition partners; on the other hand, it is also uncertain whether he will tally enough votes in the primaries to deserve a senior ministry."
Likud officials said Ya'alon recently met with representatives of settler groups in which he promised to allow "quietly" allow construction in the West Bank. "Whoever sees Ya'alon at the weekly cabinet meetings sees a wholly other person," said an advisor to one of the Likud ministers. "He is not as he used to be. Something has happened to him since Protective Edge, and it is noticeable."
Ya'alon demand for a commitment from Netanyahu is not uncommon in the Israeli political landscape, but given the current conditions, it is unlikely that any candidate could make a significant promise – and actually keep it.
According to the latest estimates and polls, it appears that the fragmentation within the political sphere will continue, and within the framework of developing alliances – everything remains on the table.
"Netanyahu cannot realistically make a commitment to Ya'alon," said sources in the Likud. "Under the current conditions, it is unclear how many ministries we could even keep after these elections.
