Following the resignation of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman from the cabinet, amid mounting criticism over the government’s decision to accept the latest Hamas-declared ceasefire, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released a statement. Mr. Netanyahu did not address the resignation of a senior member of his cabinet, but addressed the angry pained residents of Southern Israel, whom have been protesting against him Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, expressing their feeling of being abandoned and betrayed by their government and leaders of the nation.

Mr. Netanyahu said, “I hear the voices of the residents of the south. Believe me, they are precious to me, their words penetrate my heart. But together with the heads of the security forces, I see the overall picture of Israel’s security, which I cannot share with the public”, seeking to explain things are not what they appear, and they are not being abandoned by any means.

אני שומע את קולם של תושבי הדרום. האמינו לי, הם יקרים לי, דבריהם חודרים ללבי. אבל יחד עם ראשי זרועות הביטחון, אני רואה את התמונה הכוללת של ביטחון ישראל, שאינני יכול לשתפה עם הציבור. pic.twitter.com/tdjoBmKirv

— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) November 14, 2018

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)