Three Israeli ministers announced Monday they were quitting their posts, after their party leader dramatically announced he was bolting the faction to form a new party, DPA reported.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak of the Labour Party told a news conference early Monday that he, one other minister, two deputy ministers and a back-bench legislator were forming a new faction to be called Atzma'ut (Independence).
The three remaining ministers from the Labour Party - which had been Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's third-largest coalition partner - quickly announced they were also leaving the government.
They are Trade and Industry Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Welfare Minister Yitzhak Herzog and Minority Affairs Minister Avishai Braverman.