Liberman reportedly cuts opposition contacts as unity government talks emerge

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has reportedly broken off contact with fellow opposition leaders while pushing for a unity government, according to a report carried by N12 News on Wednesday. The report described Liberman as pursuing that possibility while continuing to reject joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition himself.

N12 reported that Liberman had cut contact with former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads B'Yachad, and Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot. According to the broadcaster, he had not answered calls from his opposition counterparts since Wednesday, the day after the election. The reported break in communication involved two leaders whose parties had been part of his opposition contacts.

Liberman entered the election campaign seeking the premiership, but that ambition did not translate into the result he had sought. Current tallies put Yisrael Beytenu on course for seven Knesset seats, below the figure of as many as nine seats suggested by polls before the vote. The seven-seat projection remains the party's expected representation in the incoming parliament.

According to N12, Bennett benefited at Liberman's expense, with B'Yachad taking mandates that Liberman had hoped to secure. Liberman's broader electoral strategy also depended on divisions opening inside Likud. That anticipated fracture did not materialize, and official election results showed Netanyahu's party retaining its position as the largest faction in the Knesset.

Despite the reported push for unity, Liberman has maintained his opposition to entering Netanyahu's coalition. He recently called on Attorney-General Gali Baharv-Miara to launch a criminal investigation into the prime minister. His request concerned allegations that Netanyahu had sought to involve the IDF in a military confrontation in order to postpone the election.

N12 reported that Liberman does not plan to be the opposition figure who moves into Netanyahu's bloc. Instead, he allegedly prefers Eisenkot to make that move alone. A separate report published by Maariv on Thursday, citing sources close to Netanyahu, said the prime minister was considering establishing a unity government with Eisenkot.

Sources close to Liberman told N12 that he was “choosing to lie in wait.” According to the report, their account linked that approach to the possibility of a security escalation in the country, which could create further opportunities for political realignment.