Liberman stays firm in refusing to join with ‘Ultra-orthodox, messianics and Arab List’

Liberman says that he made a promise to his electorate that he intends to keep.

By World Israel News Staff

Avigdor Liberman, the head of the Israel Beytenu party, says that he will not sit with religious, left-wing, and Arab parties in a future government.

“I hope for the establishment of a broad, liberal, national unity government,” Liberman wrote on his Facebook page, adding that “under no conditions and not for any reason will we sit with the ultra-Orthodox, the messianics, the Arab Joint List, or the Democratic Union.”

Liberman also pointed out that he made a pledge to his electorate that he intends to keep.

“The one and only commitment of ours is to our voters who voted for us and gave us their trust on September 17,” he said “Therefore, all of our promises from before the elections are iron-clad commitments after the elections, too”.

He was reiterating that point, he said, in response to speculation that he may drop his position on the Orthodox parties and agree to join into a coalition with them.

Liberman’s recent comments were in contrast to his Facebook post on Friday that said haredi religious parties are only “political rivals” and “not the enemy.”

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that he will only agree to a unity coalition if Orthodox parties are allowed to join, as well.

Meanwhile, a haredi Orthodox party is considering sitting in a coalition with the Blue and White faction despite the party’s more secular ideology.

According to a report by Channel 12, a faction within United Torah Judaism (UTJ) was consulting over that possibility with a spiritual leader. Blue and White MK Yair Lapid is said to remain the primary sticking point for UTJ due to sharp differences with Lapid over the issues of the haredi educational system and military enlistment for yeshiva students.