{"id":23282,"date":"2018-11-21T11:53:29","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T11:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/11\/21\/libermans-exit-and-how-israels-chips-may-fall\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:04:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:04:40","slug":"libermans-exit-and-how-israels-chips-may-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2018\/11\/21\/libermans-exit-and-how-israels-chips-may-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberman\u2019s exit, and how Israel\u2019s chips may fall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JERUSALEM \u2014 Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman<\/a>\u2019s Nov. 14 resignation disrupted the country\u2019s politics at a sensitive time for regional security \u2014 and it could serve as the catalyst for the delay of several defense deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His resignation<\/a> comes in the wake of a cease-fire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and after several high-profile visits by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government ministers to Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Israel doesn\u2019t have diplomatic relations with either state, but the Gulf countries are key to countering Iran and constructing a strategic concept in the region that dovetails with the current U.S. administration\u2019s tough stance on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for potential defense deals, any forthcoming announcement for the purchase of F-15 fighter jets to upgrade Israel\u2019s aging fleet could be put off for the time being. The resignation could also impact a deal for a new fleet of helicopters, likely Boeing\u2019s CH-47 Chinooks or Lockheed Martin\/Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallions. And Israel had revived the idea of purchasing V-22 Ospreys. It\u2019s now unclear how these potential deals, which could total $11 billion, will fare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was expected Liberman\u2019s exit could also accelerate plans for early elections, but that fire seems to have been extinguished \u2014 at least into the new year. The most immediate effect of his departure is that Israel is without a dedicated defense minister; however, Netanyahu has taken on that portfolio for the time being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the largest recipient of U.S. security assistance, Israel receives $3.8 billion annually from America. Israel\u2019s defense budget was $19.6 billion in 2017, and it is the seventh-largest global arms exporter, making stability at the helm of the Defense Ministry crucial to managing the U.S.-Israel security relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former U.S. Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, currently a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, doesn\u2019t see the vast majority of defense cooperation being affected by the ministerial change. \u201cIn terms of joint training, assistance, technology development and intelligence sharing, there won\u2019t be any disruption whatsoever by a new defense minister or elections,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t