Liberman says all opposition party heads should vow not to join Netanyahu government

By Sam Sokol 23 February 2026, 3:09 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Yisrael Beiteinu party chairman Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on February 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman calls on all fellow opposition party leaders to pledge not to sit in a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu, stating that “he cannot be a partner in any government, and it is impossible to join with him.”

Addressing reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting, Liberman says all opposition parties must commit to passing a universal conscription law for all Israelis “without even a single exemption” in the next government, adding that merely declaring that “‘we will pass an equal conscription law’ is an empty slogan, without meaning and without commitment.”

“I call on Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot and all the opposition leaders to say this clearly and commit to the same position, without hiding behind vague formulations,” he says.

“And in the same breath, I call on them to also commit not to sit with the prime minister of October 7, Benjamin Netanyahu. He cannot be a partner in any government, and it is impossible to join with him. I believe that there are many on the right for whom a real conscription law is a red line, and I believe that even among Likud and coalition voters, not everyone wants Netanyahu as prime minister,” he argues.

“I call on all the opposition leaders: There must be no zigzagging and no stuttering. Only a sharp and clear message wins in this campaign.”