Moshe Ya'alon: A General at War With His Prime Minister

Moshe Ya'alon, Israeli’s former Defense Minister who resigned following his sheer disagreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hinted that he will run for the national leadership and accused Netanyahu’s camp of sacrificing the interests of the country.

In a stinging rebuke to Israel’s leader, Moshe Yaalon  claimed during his resignation speech two weeks ago that the government had been taken over by – quote – “dangerous and extreme elements”. By stepping down, he paved the way for Avigdor Lieberman to take his place, a man seen by many as a conservative hardliner and a person unlikely to have any positive dealings with the Palestinians.

Now that Moshe Yaalon is on the verge of challenging Prime-Minister Netanyahu for the premiership, the incumbent Israeli leader might be regretting the fact that he’s just created a new high-profile political enemy.

Kirill Koktysh, Associate Professor at MGIMO-University (studio guest); Professor Meir Litvak of the department of Middle Eastern history and the director for the Alliance Center of Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University; and Ben Hartman, reporter for The Jerusalem Post shared their thoughts on the issue.