CRI听力:Isreali Finance and Justice Ministers Dismissed 

There's been a major shake-up in the Israeli government.

In an attempt to quell internal descent, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sacked his Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, as well as Justice Minister Tzipi Livni.

"In one word that is called putsch and that makes it impossible to run a government, that makes it impossible to lead a country, therefore a short while ago I instructed the cabinet secretary to issue dismissal letters to the ministers Lapid and Livni. Therefore, also due to the necessity to ensure a stable and proper conduct of government, I decided to push forward legislation to dissolve the Knesset and go to election as soon as possible."

Netanyahu claims both have been attacking his government and quietly trying to form an alternative coalition.

With next year's budget still not finalized, and economic growth slowing in Israel in the wake of this summer's war in Gaza, Lapid has publically accused Netanyahu of putting his political interests before those of Israel.

His Yesh Atid party, a member of the ruling coalition, is decribing the firing of the ministers "an act of cowardice and loss of control".

For her part, Tzipi Livni claims Netanyahu has been working behind the scenes to replace them.

Livni, a moderate, has been a vocal advocate of establishing new peace talks with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu's government has been dealing with a number of controversies recently, including descent over next year's budget and the Jewish nation-state bill that critics say discriminates against Israel's Arab citizens.