Liberman cuts off contact with opposition leaders, rules out gov’t with Arab factions

Yisrael Beytenu chief reportedly refuses calls from fellow opposition leaders, rules out both Netanyahu and Arab-backed governments, and prefers Eisenkot to join a unity coalition as Israel’s political deadlock deepens.

By World Israel News Staff

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has stopped communicating with fellow opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot following Tuesday’s inconclusive Knesset election, according to a report by Channel 12 on Wednesday evening.

Liberman has reportedly declined to answer telephone calls from senior figures in the anti-Netanyahu bloc, choosing instead to wait for political developments before committing himself to a course of action.

According to the report, Liberman has established two firm conditions for negotiations over Israel’s next government: He will not join a coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he will not support a government dependent on Arab parties.

The position leaves Liberman with few immediate options, as preliminary election results indicate that neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the Jewish-led opposition has enough seats to form a government independently.

With approximately 90% of ballots counted early Thursday, Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc was projected to win 53 seats, compared with 48 for the four-party Jewish-led opposition and a combined 19 for the Arab parties.

A parliamentary majority requires at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.

According to the Channel 12 report, Liberman would prefer that Eisenkot, rather than himself, be the opposition leader who ultimately joins Netanyahu in a national unity government.

The report also indicated that Liberman is skeptical of proposals circulating among opposition leaders to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, viewing such a move as politically unrealistic under the emerging parliamentary balance.

Liberman’s associates reportedly believe that a renewed security escalation could further complicate coalition negotiations, contributing to his decision to wait rather than commit to an initiative.

The Yisrael Beytenu chairman’s current position is consistent with the conditions he publicly established before the election.

“Our position is sharp and clear,” Liberman declared on October 15, insisting that any government he joins must consist exclusively of Zionist parties.

He explicitly excluded Ra’am, the Joint List, Shas and United Torah Judaism from his preferred coalition, while also ruling out participation in a government led by Netanyahu.

“Even if the world turns upside down,” he said, he would not join a Netanyahu-led government.

Liberman’s refusal to cooperate with Arab parties has become a significant obstacle for the opposition following the unexpectedly strong showing of Arab parties in Tuesday’s election.

Democrats chairman Yair Golan, by contrast, has urged the anti-Netanyahu parties to cooperate with Arab lawmakers to establish a government.

“We have a majority. We have responsibility,” Golan declared Wednesday, calling for a government that includes cooperation with Israel’s Arab citizens.

Golan also told* Channel 12* that he intended to meet Eisenkot and other opposition leaders to discuss the formation of a government.

“I hope to meet with all of them by Sunday,” he said.

Eisenkot, whose Yashar party emerged as the second-largest faction after Likud, has pledged to continue efforts to replace Netanyahu despite the difficult coalition arithmetic.

“We have more long days of work ahead of us,” Eisenkot wrote Wednesday evening, saying his party remained committed to establishing a government supporting universal military conscription.

The opposition leader had earlier declared that the election represented a rejection of Netanyahu’s leadership.

“The public has chosen change,” Eisenkot told supporters in his election-night speech, promising to pursue the formation of a new government.

Liberman’s reported withdrawal from opposition consultations comes after a disappointing election for Yisrael Beytenu, which entered the campaign presenting itself as a leading alternative to Netanyahu.

President Isaac Herzog urged political leaders Wednesday to approach coalition negotiations with flexibility.

“We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections,” Herzog said.

The president is expected to begin consultations with the newly elected Knesset factions after receiving the official election results.

Meanwhile, the Central Elections Committee began counting double-envelope ballots overnight Wednesday, including votes cast by soldiers, diplomats and other eligible voters outside their regular polling stations.

Those ballots could still affect the final allocation of Knesset seats.

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