Apparent kingmaker Liberman urges unity government, even if it excludes him

Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman says he wants a “wide, liberal, national government” made up of his party, Likud, and Blue and White.

He says Israel only has a national unity government in cases of emergency, and this is true today.

“I don’t want to scare or depress anyone, but in every way — economically and security-wise — we are in an emergency situation,” he says.

He says he won’t consider any other offers, even if it includes “rotation deals” of the premiership.

Liberman calls for President Reuven Rivlin to organize an “informal” meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, even before the final results are published.

Liberman says he is prepared to not be a member of the government — to have it only made up of Likud and Blue and White — seeing it as preferable to “variations of a narrow government.”

— Judah Ari Gross