Middle East & Africa | Israeli politics

Bibi’s bust-up

The coalition breaks up halfway through its term. But Binyamin Netanyahu is still the man to beat

|JERUSALEM

IT WAS another gamble by Israel’s prime minister. After weeks of political infighting, Binyamin Netanyahu called for fresh elections “as soon as possible”, signalling the end of his government less than halfway through its four-year term. Just before his press conference on December 2nd, he fired his justice and finance ministers, Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid. They were disloyal, he said, and were plotting a “putsch” against him. “I am taking a risk in order to improve the governance,” he declared.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Bibi’s bust-up”

Sheikhs v shale

From the December 6th 2014 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

SYRIA-CONFLICT-JIHADISTS

Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo in an embarrassing rout for Bashar al-Assad 

The Syrian dictator will not be able to count on help from Russia and Iran, his closest allies

President Joe Biden shakes hands with President João Manuel Gonçalve Lourenço of the Republic of Angola

America under Joe Biden plays the pragmatist in Africa

Donald Trump is likely to follow suit


Leishmaniasis research by DNDi

New cures for Africa’s most gruesome diseases

Sleeping sickness, riverblindness and more could be tackled


Nigeria seeks to restore pride in its artefacts, ancient and modern

A new museum in Benin City will showcase “a cauldron of creativity”

The Lebanese-American businessman in Donald Trump’s inner circle

Can Massad Boulos influence the incoming administration in the region?

Israel and Hizbullah strike a fragile deal to end their war

Joe Biden makes a last push to bring peace to the Middle East