Amid merger rumors, Eisenkot and Liberman say they are ‘deepening cooperation’

Following reports that Gadi Eisenkot, head of the nascent Yashar party, and Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman are in talks on a potential merger, the two politicians announce that they are working to expand cooperation ahead of the next election but do not confirm any plans to run on a unified slate.

In a joint statement, the two parties say that Eisenkot and Liberman met last night.

“At the conclusion of the meeting, both instructed their teams to deepen the cooperation between the parties in order to lead the ‘coalition of those who serve’ to victory and establish a Zionist, statesmanlike government,” the statement adds.

Asked by a reporter this week about reports of a potential merger with Liberman, Eisenkot answered that the two have “maintained a long relationship” and have met and spoken in recent months, but that he did not want to get into specifics.

Asked about the same issue during a press conference yesterday, Liberman said the primary goal of the upcoming election is to replace Netanyahu’s government and that “any move that brings an added value of two or three mandates is necessary. But there must be added value. If a move doesn’t contribute to adding mandates, then in my view, it’s a waste of time.”

A union between Yashar and Yisrael Beytenu — which currently holds six seats in the Knesset but has been consistently polling at about 10 seats — could yield a combined 25 seats, bringing it neck-and-neck with former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Together slate.