Lieberman submitted a resignation: "separating only temporarily. Everything is paradise"

Avigdor Lieberman submitted this morning (Sunday) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a letter of resignation from his role as foreign minister. Following a decision by the General Attorney, Yehuda Weinstein indicted for fraud and breach of trust in the case of ambassador in Belarus.


Before the weekly cabinet meeting, Lieberman told reporters: "The resignation will take effect on Tuesday at 10 am. It really was a very exciting time at the Foreign Ministry, I am leaving temporarily, I guess the interval this time is very short. As you know I'm not personally concerned, I have no concern. Everything is paradise."

Lieberman also added a formal request to remove immunity from the Knesset.


Resignation, which will also include the resignation of his deputy, Danny Ayalon, and will take effect within 48 hours, excludes resignation as MK and number two on the Likud list for the coming Knesset.


The one who will take the place of Lieberman is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A few minutes before Shabbos, Lieberman announced via his Facebook page that he had decided to resign as Foreign Minister, due to the intention to indict the case of the ambassador from Belarus, accusing him of fraud and breach of trust. Until then, Lieberman insisted, that he has no obligation to resign when it is a small case, and when he declared that if indicted he would resign immediately from his position, he meant the central case, which was closed due to lack of evidence.

Yet on Friday, after consulting with his lawyers, he decided to resign, while the prosecutions request to expedite the trial and bring him before the election.

"After so many years that they are going against me with legal proceedings, investigations and wiretaps I can also put the matter which remains, which even senior jurists are in the opinion that it has no criminal aspects, behind me, I decided to quit my job," Lieberman explained his resignation, emphasizing that the legal opinions showed that there was no legal duty to resign.

According to Lieberman's lawyer, Attorney Nati Simchoni, the resignation will remove any obstacle that would prevent him from running for the coming years, especially as foreign minister does not rule out the possibility to sign a plea bargain, admitting committing the offense, complete with a criminal conviction, but such that has no heinous and does not prevent him of the role of the Minister. "Our door is open to an arrangement," said Simchoni.


However Lieberman said this morning, referring to reports of his intention to reach a plea bargain: "I hope it will be a quick process. I read newspapers and receive a lot of information. The intention is not a plea bargain, but to go to court. This is the right and proper way, and we must make sure it is a quick process."

Lack of disgrace and lack of prison will open before him the possibility to serve as minister in the next government.


However, some argue that the real reason for the resignation is concern about the petition filed by MK Zahava Gal-On, chairman of Meretz, to the High Court demanding that Netanyahu dismiss him from office. Preceding Aryeh Deri, at the time, is hanging in space and Lieberman and his lawyers know it. At the time the High Court had ordered the former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin to dismiss Interior Minister Aryeh Deri due to the indictment filed against him. Although these are two different cases, in the case of Lieberman his portfolio is relatively easy, it is clear that he would rather resign on his own accord rather than get into a situation where he has no control and Netanyahu is forced to fire him.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!