Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman threw in the towel last Wednesday, quitting less than 24 hours after it emerged that Prime Minister Netanyahu had worked out a cease-fire agreement with Hamas behind Lieberman’s back, after the Gaza terrorist group fired a rocket salvo that sent thousands of Israelis running for cover.

Lieberman had often expressed frustration in recent months at constantly having his recommendations on the Gaza issue brushed off. The IDF brass treated him with respect, but never took him seriously.

When the escalation in Gaza began last March, Lieberman was on the same page as Netanyahu: They prioritized the northern front over the southern front, focusing on the conflict with Iran in Syria, which was then at its height. At the time, Lieberman accepted the army’s arguments that it would be disadvantageous for Israel to be active on two fronts simultaneously.

The differences emerged at the end of the summer when Netanyahu, with the support of the army and Shin Bet, began to actively pursue an agreement in Gaza. Lieberman protested — at first in private, but gradually also to the press, expressing his firm opposition to allowing Qatari fuel and cash-filled suitcases into Gaza, as well as arranging tenuous cease-fires after every new round of violence.

Netanyahu not only ignored his defense minister but actually circumvented him, allying himself with IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and essentially appointing himself acting defense minister. When Lieberman tried to halt the transfer of Qatari fuel into Gaza, Netanyahu intervened and limited his authority. Lieberman himself admitted in a recent interview that he has no influence whatsoever on Israeli policy in Gaza.

That was clearly evident last week, with Netanyahu intent on reaching a truce with Hamas, as hundreds of rockets rained down on the south and residents of the south demonstrated against it. Netanyahu didn’t suffice with merely overriding his ministers at the cabinet meeting; someone “leaked” afterward that the decision to pursue the cease-fire had been approved by Lieberman and Bennett. Thoroughly disgusted by then, Lieberman no longer had any reason to stay in the government.

Of course, from a political standpoint, Lieberman couldn’t let Netanyahu continue to take credit for all the recent military successes in the north, and let the blame fall to Lieberman for all the problems in the south. The conflict between the two men spread to other issues, such as the death penalty law — a plank in Yisrael Beiteinu’s campaign platform, which Netanyahu froze, despite having given a written commitment to support it.

Lieberman’s resignation speech in the Knesset was candid and unapologetic, describing his unsuccessful attempts to sway coalition members and the defense establishment to agree to his solutions for the Gaza conflict. He’d been forced to repeatedly compromise his beliefs and stand down, until he couldn’t any longer, he said.

Likud MKs, who by then were used to badmouthing Lieberman, received instructions from on high not to come down too hard on the outgoing minister. Netanyahu will need Yisrael Beiteinu in any future coalition, and doesn’t want to burn all his bridges.

During Lieberman’s two and a half years as defense minister, his party lost a lot of political traction. Polls currently show Yisrael Beiteinu getting around five seats in new elections, which puts them at the threshold of representation in the Knesset.

For Lieberman, the Defense Ministry, once considered a necessary stepping stone to the post of prime minister, is threatening to turn into a political grave. With elections apparently just around the corner, Lieberman decided to jump ship to save himself and his party.

It’s said that you can take Israel out of Gaza, but you can’t take Gaza out of Israel. The same can be said for Avigdor Lieberman; wherever he goes next, he’ll be pursued by Gaza. Last week, at least, he had some respite, seeing his protégé Moshe Lion win the top spot in the Jerusalem mayoral runoff. (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 718)