Liberman berates Eisenkot in tense meeting, accuses him of damaging anti-Netanyahu bloc
Avigdor Liberman will recommend Gadi Eisenkot to form a coalition government and supports Yair Lapid for Knesset speaker. Despite this backing, Liberman berated Eisenkot in a tense meeting, claiming an "egotistical" campaign prioritized party interests over the anti-Netanyahu bloc. Liberman maintains he will not serve in any government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and rejects a minority government reliant on Arab parties, predicting such a government would survive less than a year. The opposition bloc has formally stated it will not deal with Arab parties.
Listen to Live Briefing
Real-time synthesized voice briefing · Live Feeds Desk
- ✓ Avigdor Liberman supports Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister and Yair Lapid for Knesset speaker.
- ✓ Liberman refuses to serve in a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
- ✓ The opposition bloc stated it will not deal with Arab parties.
- ✓ Liberman opposes a minority government reliant on Arab parties.
What changed
Liberman has formally backed Eisenkot for prime minister while simultaneously blaming him for the election results.
Live updates
-
Liberman backs Eisenkot for PM despite accusing him of damaging opposition bloc
Avigdor Liberman will recommend Gadi Eisenkot to form a coalition government and supports Yair Lapid for Knesset speaker. Despite this backing, Liberman berated Eisenkot in a tense meeting, claiming an "egotistical" campaign prioritized party interests over the anti-Netanyahu bloc. Liberman maintains he will not serve in any government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and rejects a minority government reliant on Arab parties, predicting such a government would survive less than a year. The opposition bloc has formally stated it will not deal with Arab parties.
Why it matters
Israel is navigating the aftermath of the 2026 elections. The struggle to form a stable coalition center on the ability of the anti-Netanyahu bloc to unite without relying on Arab parties.
What is confirmed
- Avigdor Liberman supports Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister and Yair Lapid for Knesset speaker.
- Liberman refuses to serve in a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The opposition bloc stated it will not deal with Arab parties.
- Liberman opposes a minority government reliant on Arab parties.
Still unconfirmed
- Liberman accused Eisenkot of running an egotistical campaign that prioritized his party over the broader bloc.
- Liberman berated Eisenkot during a tense meeting.
What to watch next
- Formal recommendation of Eisenkot to form a government
- Coalition negotiations between Liberman, Eisenkot, and Lapid
- Netanyahu's response to the opposition bloc's alignment
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (11)
- www.ynetnews.com — Great Britain
- Haaretz — Israel Election 2026 • Trump says he had 'very good talk' with Netanyahu, discussed Iran
- Ynetnews — Liberman berates Eisenkot in tense meeting, accuses him of damaging anti-Netanyahu bloc
- The Jerusalem Post — Avigdor Liberman backs Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister, Yair Lapid for Knesset speaker
- The Times of Israel — Liberman says Eisenkot’s ‘egotistical’ campaign prioritized party over bloc
- The Times — Israel’s opposition bloc: We won’t deal with Arab parties
- The Times of Israel — Liberman continues to rule out minority government reliant on Arab parties: 'Will survive less than a year'
- Haaretz — Lieberman backs Eisenkot to form coalition, Lapid for Knesset speaker
- The Times of Israel — Liberman says will not serve in government with Netanyahu under any circumstances
- www.israelhayom.com — Liberman backs Eisenkot for prime minister, blames him for election result
- i24NEWS — Lieberman: “A minority government will not happen”; will recommend Eisenkot to form gov. rules out Netanyahu
Community Sentiment: How do you assess this situation?
Voice your perspective · Real-time aggregated sentiment from the Live Feeds community