Israeli official quits in protest of cease-fire

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned Wednesday over the recent cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza, calling it a “surrender to terrorism.” The Egyptian-brokered cease-fire late Tuesday ended clashes that began Sunday night when undercover Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militants fired 460 rockets and mortars into Israel, while Israeli airstrikes hit 160 targets in Gaza. More than a dozen Palestinians and two Israelis have died in the fighting.

Lieberman demanded a stronger response to the attacks by Hamas, the leading Islamic militant group in Gaza, and opposed Israel’s move last week to allow Qatar to deliver $45 million in aid to the region. His resignation likely will weaken Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government. Netanyahu already faced political backlash for not taking a tougher stance against Hamas. In his first response since the latest unrest, the prime minister said, “leadership is not doing the easy thing; it is doing the right thing.”