Lieberman: Eisenkot seeks to form a coalition government with Netanyahu and the Haredi parties

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - The head of the "Israel Beytenu" party, Avigdor Lieberman, attacked the head of the "Yashar" party, Gadi Eisenkot, against the backdrop of his election campaign calling for making his party the largest, accusing him of violating the understandings between the heads of the opposition parties, which stipulate not attacking each other.

Lieberman said in a post on the “X” platform that the “larger party” campaign led by Eisenkot does not aim to transfer votes from the camp of military service evaders to the camp of service supporters, but rather to attract votes from within the camp itself.

He added that this campaign completely contradicts the understandings reached by the camp leaders during their last meeting on September 26, and harms the unity of its ranks, wondering what is behind this step.

Lieberman claimed that Eisenkot is planning for the post-election period, and that his goal is not to be the largest party within the camp of supporters of military service, but rather to surpass the Likud Party in terms of size, to enter into negotiations to form the government with Benjamin Netanyahu from a position of strength.

He said that the statements of the Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, Mickey Zohar, regarding the possibility of cooperation with Eisenkot, and reports of an initiative by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to form a government bringing together Netanyahu and Eisenkot, in addition to what he described as leaks emanating from the White House, began to clarify the features of this trend.

Lieberman accused Eisenkot of seeking to form a government with Netanyahu, Moshe Goldknopf, and Aryeh Deri, while keeping the option of forming a minority government on the table to put pressure on Netanyahu, with the aim of obtaining the position of prime minister first within an agreement to rotate its presidency.

He added: "I see here a personal ambition that is much greater than the real desire to correct the injustices committed by the government of military service evaders."

He considered that the failure of this scenario would require the four parties in the opposition camp to obtain a solid majority, allowing the formation of a Zionist and liberal government, and preventing Eisenkot from saving Netanyahu for the second time, as he put it.

Lieberman responded to the accusations that the position of the "Yisrael Beytenu" party obstructs the formation of a government headed by Eisenkot, stressing that his party does not change its principles according to opinion polls, and does not modify its positions to suit the needs of coalition negotiations.

He said: "Our positions are very clear, before and after the elections."

Speaking about Eisenkot's lack of political experience, Lieberman said that this "reminds of a phenomenon we have previously witnessed among chiefs of staff who entered the world of politics," referring to Benny Gantz and Yitzhak Rabin.

He added: "Military ranks and experience are no substitute for political experience."