Liberman accuses Eisenkot of seeking coalition with Netanyahu

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman accused Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot of seeking to form a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, escalating tensions within the opposition ahead of Israel’s election.

In a post on X, Liberman charged that Eisenkot’s campaign to make Yashar the largest party was aimed at taking votes from opposition partners rather than winning over government supporters. He said this violated agreements reached by opposition leaders at their September 26 meeting.

“What interests him is being bigger than Likud and entering negotiations from a position of strength to form a government with Netanyahu,” Liberman wrote. He also accused Eisenkot of seeking a coalition with Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox partners.

Liberman dubbed Eisenkot “Benny Gantz 2” and argued that military experience was no substitute for political experience. Gantz, another former military chief, entered a unity government with Netanyahu in 2020 after campaigning to replace him.

The attack followed Liberman’s declaration Thursday that he would not support a minority government, even temporarily, rejecting an option Eisenkot had floated should the opposition fail to secure a parliamentary majority. Liberman said Likud without Netanyahu could be a coalition partner.

Eisenkot had publicly rejected a government role for Netanyahu earlier in the week, after Naftali Bennett suggested he could serve as a minister under certain conditions. Eisenkot said those who held leadership positions during the October 7 attack were unfit to return to senior office. Bennett subsequently ruled out serving alongside Netanyahu.