Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his resignation from the post, on Wednesday, in protest against the ceasefire agreement of the Israeli Cabinet with the Palestinian factions in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to Hebrew-language news outlet.
Ma’an News Agency sources reported that Lieberman called for early elections.
Lieberman described the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with the Hamas movement as “a capitulation to terror.”
Born in Moldova, he is one of the only ministers in the world who does not live in territory officially recognized as his own country. Originally under suspicion over charges of money-laundering and bribery, Lieberman was formally indicted in December of 2012, on lesser charges of fraud and breach of trust.
In 2014, his party was the focus of a corruption probe within the Israeli political spectrum, and, in November of the same year, Lieberman’s life was threatened with an assassination attempt.
Prior to moving to Israel from Moldova, Lieberman worked as a nightclub bouncer. When he moved into an Israeli settlement, he gained infamy when he was charged with beating up a 12-year old boy. He espoused extreme right-wing views, and became a member of the Yisrael Beitenu party, which he now chairs.
