Report: Liberman cuts contact with rest of opposition, wants Eisenkot-Netanyahu unity government

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has largely cut off contact with his opposition partners, though there is some communication with their campaign staff, Channel 12 reports.

Liberman is not answering calls from Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot or B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett, according to the report.

Channel 12 says Liberman still stands by his vows not to join a government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or support a minority government that relies on Arab parties.

He also does not see replacing Knesset speaker Amir Ohana as a viable act under the current political circumstances, an idea floated by his opposition partners that anti-Netanyahu parties could do without forming a government.

Liberman expects pressure on Eisenkot to join a unity government alongside Netanyahu and would prefer that Eisenkot do so of his own volition, according to the report.

Liberman has previously taken time to make his coalition intentions known. After the 2009 election, when his party won 15 seats and became a pivotal player in coalition talks, he famously went on a week-long vacation before eventually joining Netanyahu’s government.

After the election in April 2019, as Israel entered a previous period of inconclusive votes, Liberman went on vacation to Vienna.