Liberman vows not to join any coalition with Netanyahu or Ra’am: ‘We’ll establish a Zionist government’

By Sam Sokol 20 September 2025, 8:46 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 Beytenu party leader Avigdor Lieberman speaks at a conference in Tel Aviv on July 15, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Ahead of a planned meeting of opposition party leaders this evening, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman tells Channel 12’s “Meet the Press” that he “will not sit with [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu under any circumstances” and instead “we will establish a Zionist government.”

Liberman also states that he will not be part of a coalition that includes the Islamist Ra’am, which backed the government he was part of between 2021 and 2022.

Liberman is slated to meet this evening with “Yashar! With Eisenkot” chief Gadi Eisenkot, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and The Democrats head Yair Golan.

According to Hebrew-language reports, Blue and White-National Unity chairman Benny Gantz will not be at the meeting, while Bennett 2026 leader Naftali Bennett will also not be in attendance as he is marking the 10th anniversary of his father’s death, known in Judaism as yahrzeit.

The opposition chiefs are working to coordinate their efforts ahead of the next national election.

In a statement issued in response to Liberman, Blue and White-National Unity says that “Israel needs a broad Zionist consensus government to stop the extremists” and that “by voting for Liberman, you get [Itamar] Ben Gvir,” implying that by refusing to sit with Netanyahu, Liberman will lead the premier to form another coalition with the far-right Otzma Yehudit party leader.

Gantz, who launched his political career on being a viable alternative to Netanyahu before later joining two governments led by him, has not categorically ruled out sitting in a coalition with the premier again if necessary.

Earlier this month, Gantz called for opposition leaders to form a temporary “hostage-redemption government,” insisting that Israel must negotiate for a comprehensive deal to free those remaining in captivity in Gaza.