From the Liveblog of
Friday, November 6, 2026
UTJ chief welcomes Liberman’s ‘flexibility,’ but says no partnership proposal received yet
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United Torah Judaism party leader Yaakov Asher welcomes Avigdor Liberman’s change of heart regarding working with the ultra-Orthodox parties, while adding that no concrete partnership proposal has been sent yet.
After Liberman said he’s open to compromise on his longtime demand to legislate mandatory military service for Haredi men, Asher says: “I’m happy to discover the flexibility of all political players on enlistment.”
He adds a swipe at Liberman and the opposition bloc, which campaigned heavily on ending the sweeping exemptions and halting benefits to ultra-Orthodox draft evaders and their families: “It’s painful to think how much incitement and internal hatred could have been saved had such flexibility been displayed in the past few years.”
He says that if a proposal is received, it will be evaluated by UTJ’s spiritual leaders, who are the strategic decision-makers for the party.
UTJ this week declined to endorse any candidate for prime minister when meeting President Isaac Herzog, reiterating that the party no longer views itself as part of the bloc loyal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Fellow Haredi party Shas, however, recommended Netanyahu and says it is part of the bloc. Shas’s support would also be needed for the anti-Netanyahu bloc to form a government.
The Times of Israel Community.