Most of the time, political squabbling in Israel starts just as war is breaking out. As soon as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) start plodding into Gaza, Cabinet members start lashing out at one another in an effort to prove to their right-wing base that if they had their way, the government would not “allow Gaza to win.” Sometimes, they manage to restrain themselves and leave the feuding until the next round of fighting dies down. Then there is the case at hand, with two ministers, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, taking pot shots at each other even before the IDF sets off for another unnecessary round of fighting in the Gaza Strip. In this case, they are paying the bill even before they’ve eaten their meal — and in this case, they have good reason for doing so, especially Bennett.

Over the next few days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is supposed to decide whether he wants to advance Israel’s next election to the first quarter of the coming year. Bennett needs desperately to distinguish himself from Netanyahu, who isn’t giving him as much as a foothold on the right. Meanwhile, Liberman is insisting that he continue to serve as defense minister in the next coalition, regardless of how many seats his party, Yisrael Beitenu, or Bennett’s party, HaBayit HaYehudi, actually win. Netanyahu has already promised his coalition partners that they will keep the same positions in the next coalition. That’s not good enough for Bennett. He would much rather be the minister of defense, knowing that it is a necessary stepping stone on his path to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Liberman describes Bennett’s claims against his Gaza policy as “messianic,” but that is hardly precise. Bennett does have some reasoned arguments based on the situation on the ground. He is not calling on the IDF to invade Gaza. In fact, he is firmly opposed to sending ground troops in without any preset expectations. At the same time, he also knows that Netanyahu and Liberman are doing everything they can to protect Hamas, just so that it is not replaced with a unified Palestinian partner in the West Bank and Gaza. What concerns Bennett is that the deterrence that Israel has built up during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 has since been worn down.

“What is happening now,” Bennett explained this week in a conversation with Al-Monitor, “is that rioters come right up to the fence, tear up several meters of it, penetrate Israeli territory, leave explosives and return to Gaza practically undisturbed. All the IDF ever does is shoot at their legs. The situation as it stands now is impossible. Liberman inherited a high level of deterrence and is leaving behind a scorched earth policy. I can’t recall any precedent of the IDF receiving orders to shoot at their legs when terrorists are actually penetrating Israeli territory. It doesn’t happen in the north. It doesn’t happen in the center of the country. The only place it happens is Gaza. Why?”