"Liberman will not be a good defense minister," Deputy Minister for Regional Affairs Ayoub Kara said at a cultural event in Beersheba. "Someone with military experience should have been appointed, someone who understands what a weapon is."

Besides his hawkish views, Liberman's appointment to the defense ministry has been criticized for his lack of military experience -- he had a short military career as a stockkeeper in the Artillery Corps and never participated in combat. His predecessor Moshe Ya'alon served as army chief and in the past had led the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit.

Opposition lawmakers hailed the recent resignations of Ya'alon from the Defense Ministry and Avi Gabbay (Kulanu) from the Environmental Protection Ministry as the only appropriate response to Liberman's appointment.