It is impossible to detect any damage inflicted on Israel’s deterrent or offensive capabilities by the Nov. 14 resignation of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. If anything, Israel’s deterrence and security stand to benefit from his departure.

His most recent contribution to Israel’s defense was his irresponsible Oct. 12 decision to cut off the fuel supply to the Gaza Strip. “Until violence in the Gaza Strip stops entirely, including the launching of incendiary balloons and the burning of tires near Israeli communities, the supply of fuel and gas will not be renewed,” he said. Liberman’s position was diametrically opposed to the advice of military and defense agency chiefs, who have repeatedly warned that a further deepening of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip would only result in more violence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu learned of Liberman’s move from the media. A few days later, he ordered the resumption of fuel and gas supplies to Gaza. The security cabinet also banned Liberman from halting humanitarian aid to Gaza without the approval of the government’s top defense and diplomacy forum.

While Liberman’s resignation does not constrain the military options of the Netanyahu government, the departure of Liberman’s party, Yisrael Beitenu, from the governing coalition does limit the government’s room to maneuver. Netanyahu is left with a narrow coalition of 61 Knesset members, and now the extortion capabilities of Naftali Bennett, chair of the right-wing Habayit Hayehudi, have skyrocketed. The current education minister is eyeing the newly vacated defense portfolio. His party’s Knesset faction has already announced that unless Bennett is named defense minister, the party will also quit the coalition. The seat would probably not be the party’s final demand. Holding the parliamentary balance of power in an election year is a surefire recipe for populist and irresponsible legislation. Anyway, how long can a government coalition survive at the mercy of Knesset member Oren Hazan, the Likud wildcard?

It does not take a great political genius to understand that naming Bennett defense minister would be repeating and even compounding the mistake of placing Liberman in the post in 2016. The two men spent the past two years competing for the title of Mr. Aggressive toward Hamas, courting right-wing voters and inciting them against the containment policy adopted by the government of which they are members. Speaking at a press conference in Paris on Nov. 11, Netanyahu promised to do everything he can to avoid an unnecessary war in Gaza. But one cannot make such a promise and then hand over the defense portfolio to hard-liner Bennett, who objected the cease-fire with Hamas as capitulation to terror and calling for military action. The combination of the cease-fire reached on Nov. 13 with Hamas and Liberman’s resignation provides an opportunity for change in Israel’s policy on Gaza and for a government reshuffle.