TV report claims Bennett, Liberman discussing post-election merger to give them most seats in bloc, stop Eisenkot from becoming PM

Ex-premier and B’Yachad party leader Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman are discussing a potential post-election union between their parties in the case that neither party wins the most seats among the opposition bloc, Channel 12 says in an unsourced report, in an apparent bid to prevent current frontrunner Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot from becoming prime minister.

According to the report, Bennett and Liberman are not looking to “make it easy” for Eisenkot to assume the premiership, even if his party wins the most seats, and instead are discussing a potential rotation agreement or a party merger to give them the most seats in the opposition bloc.

The outlet says Bennett had previously supported the top spot going to the leader of the largest party, but once Eisenkot overtook him in the polls, he has shifted to advocating for the “most experienced,” or “most right-wing” party leader within the bloc becoming prime minister.

The president does not automatically task the head of the largest party with building a coalition after elections. Rather, the president hears recommendations from the leaders of the new Knesset parties themselves on who they would favor to do so, and then gives the task to the MK the president judges is best able to build a coalition.

A recent poll by The Times of Israel’s Zman Yisrael sister site had Eisenkot winning the most seats at 23, with Bennett’s party at 15 and Liberman’s at 11, meaning that if Bennett and Liberman merged their parties, they would come out slightly ahead of Eisenkot with 26 seats.

The poll had Jewish opposition parties winning 57 seats, short of a majority without the Arab-majority Ra’am, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc would win 51.

Elections are set for October 27.