Long-time critic of prime minister’s leadership given the boot after criticism of ceasefire deal proves the last straw.
By Ari Soffer, INN
In a dramatic development Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has fired his Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon.
Danon, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, has been a consistent and sometimes harsh critic of the prime minister’s leadership. Sources close to the PM say Danon’s scathing criticism of the government’s decision to sign up to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas proved the last straw.
Hopes of a ceasefire crumbled after Hamas rejected it and fired dozens of rockets onto Israeli population centers, prompting Israel to respond with more airstrikes after several hours of restraint.
While some analysts – including Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman – have criticized the government’s willingness to consider yet another ceasefire with Hamas, others have praised the decision to accept as a smart move which isolated Hamas internationally after the Islamist terrorist group rejected it, and gave Israel more legitimacy to continue its ongoing operation in Gaza.
“At a time when the Government of Israel and the IDF find themselves at the height of a military operation against terrorist organizations, and are acting with determination to ensure the security of the citizens of the country, it is unacceptable that the deputy defense minister attacks so sharply the actions of the government that is leading the operation,” Netanyahu wrote in a statement explaining his decision.
“These serious statements on the part of the deputy defense minister express a great lack of responsibility, which is particularly true given the the position he serves,” the prime minister added.
Netanyahu continued by claiming that Hamas had in the past used Danon’s criticism of the Israeli government in its propaganda material against Israel.
“In view of these statements expressing a lack of faith in the government and in its prime minister in particular, it would be expected that the deputy defense minister would exercise some responsibility for his actions and resign. When he did not do so of his own accord, I decided to remove him from his post,” he added.
MK Danon responded to the decision with more fierce criticism of Netanyahu.
“The prime minister does not accept that there are other opinions within the party,” fired Danon. “Netanyahu grovelled in front of Abu Mazen [PA President Mahmoud Abbas], and freed 78 terrorists just for a joint seat at the negotiating table; he hasn’t responded to the murder of the three teens, Gilad Sha’ar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah h”yd; and this morning he agreed to a ceasefire that is very bad for Israel. What values will he give up on next?”
Danon stood by his decision to oppose the ceasefire deal, which he said would have left millions of Israelis still at the mercy of terrorist rockets.
And he took aim at what he referred to s the “prime minister’s weak, leftist spirit,” asserting that his own position was more representative of Likud values.
“I will not sell my ideology for the sake of an office and a chauffeur… I will continue to ensure that the Likud party won’t become a chapter of Meretz,” he said, referring to the far-left Meretz party.
@ the phoenix:
Like the gifted politician he is Bibi has fooled the Israelis into thinking that he has their interests at heart whereas he is motivated only by self interest.
@ jerrylaury:
Are you implying that shfanyahu is working on the side of the Israelis???
🙂
As long as Bibi is cleaning his cabinet of his critics how about so called Justice Minister Tzipi Livni who appears to be working on the side of the Palestinians rather than the Israelis?
@ the phoenix:
Not to my knowledge. 🙂 But what do I know being as I am only a lowly MScEE. Machmud is a wise, donkey riding Middle Eastern farmer, hard working and unpredictable as h…
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
Yeah but is he a daktah’?
🙂
I accept…and so should you [and “the phoenix”].
@ rsklaroff:
Israel depends on american support….
I shot the clerk… (Ref ‘my cousin vinny if you did not get it)
Doc,
I’ll have to look up in my files a long list of reasons why Israel does NOT need the yew es of ey…
In fact it is more harmed by it by a country mile.
🙁
@ rsklaroff:
Lovely.
Since you believe the fellow here in Israel is doing fine I suggest the following…
Paraphrasing a sage of the times.
“If you like him you can keep him”.
Now allow me to introduce you to a SHUK analyst, Machmud from Majd el Kurum, a Moslem village. A SHUK is a Middle Eastern open market where all and everything is for sale). Today we went shopping for fresh vegetables and fruits and met the expert.
HAMAS was created as the Islamic death cult active arm. According to Machmud, Hamas will slowly reduce their rate of rocket fire to a trickle thus neutralizing the Israblof paper menaces by “el fantastico”.
Supplies keep on flowing to Gaza all along and huge piles of money will be donated to them to immediately rebuild.
I believe Machmud got it.
All sarcasm aside, you must admit that Israel depends upon American support, and BHO’s hatred of BB is well-established; thus, using the reference to the “Iron Dome” as metaphorically “overhead,” it would seem prudent to allow BB a certain discretion as he multitasks.
Indeed, can you quibble with how he has positioned himself, here, with open-season looming against the Gaza-Strip?
I’ll supply you plenty of grist for subsequent critique, c/o my “Blast” e-mail [that emerged from 20-pages in Word]; overall, I feel BB is doing just fine!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/234089063/Action-Items-CXCVIII-Israel-Gaza-Dershowitz-and-BHO-s-Dems-Media-Bias-Economist-Al-Monitor-Islamism-Danon-Kurdistan-PR-data
rsklaroff Said:
On another thread you have casually let it be known to Bernard Ross (and the rest of the forum) that you are a physician.
Once again sklaroff… Wow!
You just have no idea how impressed I am..
And on this subject, do you get your medical knowledge when you get to actually SEE things, or read about a procedure that was DONE and then proceed to analyze the results, OR, as you have stated above, you rely on your psychic knowledge to GUESS what the lecturer meant to convey….
Not to burst your bubble about the second part of your comment, but you might want to read this to see perhaps another (alleged) aspect of iron dome
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-defense-prize-winner-shefer-iron-dome-is-a-bluff-1000954085
And lastly, even were it so, and your old high school buddy was put under pressure by a bastard (literally and figuratively), I submit to you, that Israel deserves better.
Much better.
Someone who can can tell the abomination in the Oval Office to do an anatomically impossible act on himself, but to try nonetheless.
Who knows, you might even be called to explain such a medical conundrum…
🙂
What y’all fail to acknowledge is that BHO was undoubtedly extorting BB to do his bidding, hanging the Iron Dome over his head [so to speak].
the phoenix Said:
“I’m impressed, sklaroff!” 😛
Me too!!!!
@ rsklaroff:
Some up to date information to you.
Hamas, Hazbollah, Syria, Iran, S. Arabia, etc are in a declared state of war against us here in Eretz Israel since 1948.
The only difference at this point is that Hamas, following one or all of the above directions, is more active than the others. Hamas is also counting with most EU anti-Semites support.
There is constant state of war…
Netanyahu, in turn has deceived, lied, betrayed and misled and sabotaged consistently every possibility to actually put down Islamic enemies.
He proposed to abandon all Jews in Y & S not long ago. Freed thousands of Islamic murderers, provides electricity, fuels, water and food to the enemy.
Danon will remain a Jewish Patriot while Netanyahu is made to do the opposite.
Look, with all due respect, when the PM has made a decision, it is desirable to support it publicly; if for no other reason than to undermine the capacity of enemies to use a political statement to undermine Israel, it is best if he were to have relied solely upon having aired his contrary viewpoint privately…particularly noting the fact that they are both Likud.
@ rsklaroff:
Wow!!! (Sound of clapping hands)
What a great reason to respect someone!
I’m impressed, sklaroff!
Way to go Danny! Keep up the very good work! Bibi must go! Start campaigning against Bibi right now, elections are never very far away!
I’d like to suggest a reformulation of the available information acquired during the past 24-hours.
First, a disclaimer: I have adored Danny Danon ever since he stood next to Governor Rick Perry [9/2007] in NYC while they blasted the UN [and efforts to confer “statehood” on “Palestine”].
Arlene Kushner thinks el-Sisi may have purposefully initiated this gambit, knowing Hamas would not comply, thereby strengthening Israel and hardening intent to do what Egypt can’t, namely, to achieve a demilitarized Gaza.
http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2014/7/15/july-15-2014-phew.html
I respect also, of course, BB, for we graduated from the same High School [Cheltenham, he in ’67 and me in ’69].
Finally, I have always felt that whatever is noted in America is actually articulated almost purely for internal political consumption; in that regard, I have read pundits predicting what BB will do as he eyes the potential for an election within 18 months. Lieberman’s “party-divorce” apparently was irreversible, despite BB’s having initiated his reaction to the Hamas-rockets within 24-hours of this decision [perhaps noting that polling suggested he’d gain ~7 Knesset seats].
In any case, not only can BB intensify his offensive, but he can accomplish this in a fashion that unites the currently-governing coalition; in my view, DD will suddenly awaken with a start, recognizing how effectively BB “used” him.
Essentially, BB “cried” all the way to the “bank,” now empowered to portray himself as a force of moderation between hawks and doves.
Danon is far better off. Being in the ministerial roster of the coward, traitor, liar, saboteur in chief, Netanyahu is a stain.
Ladies and gentlemen, Netanyahu and his cadre must be removed from office. now. They will betray no matter what.
“Netanyahu grovelled in front of Abu Mazen […] What values will he give up on next?”
The Israeli citizens elected Netanyahu to lead the country with a minimum of patriotism, but instead he adopted a self-immolating and appeasing policy.
Why did not he fire all the terrorist-deputies in the Knesset who are granted perpetual free spit on Jews?
Jews worldwide rely upon him in his quality as the leader of the State of Israel, but Netanyahu chose to give precedence to his personal interests and to fear for the reaction of the international community.
He should have finished with the terrorist organization without any mercy, and certainly not by worrying and by taking care of its terrorist population who is far from being innocent. No electricity, gas, water, food and medications would have been the least he could have done.
Saul, King of Israel, has been overthrown forever from his kingship because he did not obey to G-d’s commandment to fight against the sinful people of Amal-k and kill their king.
As the prophet Samuel chastised him “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel?”
The same is applicable to Netanyahu who submitted to Fatah-Hamas, the Jew killers, and to the international community, the Jew haters.
I would have fired Danon weeks ago, and especially now, with us at war with the Hamas baby killers, the worst possible thing any member of the government can do is publicly criticize our Prime Minister and show division and weakness to the Hamas reptiles in the Gaza Strip. Danon fully deserved to be fired and I only hope that he will take this firing for what it is, that is, he has been told to shut his stupid mouth and stop acting like a dangerous fool and a member of the Arab political party Hadash. Danon acts like a bigger idiot than than that filthy and slimy Jew hating Haneen Zoabi!
Danon’s criticism of Netanyahu is right on target. Were it not for Hamas’s stupidity in not accepting the cease fire Israel would have blundered into another meaningless truce in which it would have gained nothing.
Netanyahu’s move was not an act of strength; it was an act of weakness. It does not bolster him inside the Likud.
Now that BiBi has fired Danon for his opposition to BiBi’s policies how about firing Livni not only for her opposition but also her disloyalty to Israel?