Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday he was leaving his struggling Labour party and setting up a new centrist party called "Independence," in a move set to strengthen the Israeli government.
The surprise decision will see Barak and four other deputies leave the strife-torn party to start a new "centrist, Zionist and democratic" faction that will be part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.
The former premier, who has been Labour leader since 2007, said he was leaving the party as a result of its "shift to the left," as well as increasing divisions within it.
Barak’s departure prompted Labour’s three remaining ministers to step forward and announce they were quitting Netanyahu’s coalition in order to rebuild the party from the ranks of the opposition.
Netanyahu was quick to praise Barak’s move, saying it would strengthen the government, particularly in respect to negotiations with the Palestinians.