Liberman drops opposition to coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties

Without Shas, the opposition would still lack the 61 seats needed to establish a majority coalition.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has reportedly lifted his longstanding opposition to joining a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties, allowing negotiations that could help Israel’s opposition form a government following inconclusive parliamentary elections.

According to Channel 12, Liberman has authorized opposition leaders to pursue talks with United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas, potentially opening a path to a coalition headed by Gadi Eisenkot.

The anti-Netanyahu “change bloc” won 48 Knesset seats, leaving it 13 short of the 61 required for a parliamentary majority.

Liberman previously established three conditions for participating in a government: excluding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, refusing cooperation with Arab parties and rejecting coalition agreements with ultra-Orthodox factions.

His reported willingness to reconsider the third condition would allow negotiations with religious parties while maintaining his opposition to Netanyahu and a government dependent on Arab parliamentary support.

However, Yisrael Beytenu told The Jerusalem Post that “nothing has changed” since its previous briefings.

Thursday brought another development when UTJ declined to recommend Netanyahu to President Isaac Herzog as its preferred candidate to form the next government.

Opposition figures interpreted that decision as an indication of the party’s willingness to consider negotiations, with preliminary discussions already underway.

Securing Shas support remains a major obstacle.

The party has announced its intention to recommend Netanyahu, while its chairman, Aryeh Deri, continues to support the Likud alliance after returning to the Shas leadership following a day of upheaval.

Rabbi Moshe Maya, a senior member of the Council of Torah Sages, also rejected participation in a left-wing government Thursday morning, instead advocating efforts to establish a unity government.

Without Shas, the opposition would still lack the 61 seats needed to establish a majority coalition.

Opposition leaders are consequently considering a separate proposal to establish a minority government under Eisenkot as early as next week, supported externally by Arab parties.

Liberman continues to reject that arrangement, maintaining that a government reliant on Arab factions would lack the stability necessary to remain in office for an extended period.