Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday phoned Ehud Barak, most likely for a last time regarding coalition talks, asking him if he is still in the running to join the forming coalition. Barak explained there is no longer a common ground, a platform that can be deemed acceptable to Labor after Netanyahu “adopted all the demands of Yisrael Beitenu”.

The real problem stems around the fact that Lieberman’s party will receive the public security portfolio that is responsible for Israel Police, leaving Labor out of the running, with Barak explaining he and his colleagues are unable to enter such a coalition.

As such, the defense portfolio, which was being held for Barak, will not remain in Likud’s control and it now appears the next defense minister will be a former IDF chief of staff, Moshe Ya’alon, who is the leading Likud candidate, competing with Silvan Shalom, Dan Meridor, and Dr. Yuval Shteinitz. Netanyahu promised Ya’alon the post when he made the decision to enter the political arena and join Likud. Once it became clear that Barak was out of the running, Ya’alon became the likely candidate for the senior post.

When Ya’alon served as IDF chief the defense minister was Shaul Mofaz in the government of Ariel Sharon. Ya’alon’s deputy was Gabi Ashkenazi, who he recommended for the top slot when Mofaz announced he was not giving Ya’alon the optional yet customary 4th year as military commander. Ya’alon was the 17th IDF chief, serving from July 2002 until July 2005.

Mofaz selected Dan Halutz, from the air force, who was compelled to resign after his colossal failure in the Second Lebanon War. Ashkenazi, who held a senior Defense Ministry post was called out of retirement to rehabilitate the IDF following the war.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)