JERUSALEM — In a shocking move that instantly shook up Israel’s political scene, Defense Minister Ehud Barak defected from his Labor Party yesterday.
The move appeared to shore up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition by leading to the resignation of the other Labor members, who had been at loggerheads with the government over stalled peacemaking efforts. But it could weaken the Israeli leader in the long run by reducing his majority and undermining his attempts to portray himself as a centrist leader.
Barak, the departing party leader and former prime minister, will stay in the ruling coalition with four other followers in a new Independence party. But Labor’s eight remaining lawmakers — including three ministers — will withdraw.