Liberman Rejects Coalition with Arab Parties, Undermining the Change Bloc’s Path to a Majority
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Avigdor Liberman, Chairman of Yisrael Beitenu, has ruled out joining a government that includes Arab parties, complicating the Change bloc’s effort to secure a governing majority after the recent elections and exposing the limits of its coalition arithmetic.
Avigdor Liberman, Chairman of Yisrael Beitenu, has firmly rejected the possibility of joining a coalition government with Arab parties, delivering a major blow to the Change bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot as it tries to assemble a governing majority after the recent elections. In a Facebook post, Liberman declared, "We will not sit with supporters of terrorism!"
Neither the Change bloc nor the Netanyahu bloc won the 61 Knesset seats needed for a majority. While some members of the Change bloc have expressed openness to including Arab parties in a government, Liberman insists that Yisrael Beitenu will only take part in a coalition made up solely of Zionist parties. He pointed to concerns about the actions and statements of certain Arab lawmakers, including Ofer Cassif's support for legal proceedings against Israel initiated by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, which accused Israel of genocide. Liberman also referred to comments made by Ra’am MK Yasser Hujirat regarding Hamas and to events during the Joint List’s election-night gathering.
Liberman's position sharply reduces the chances for the anti-Netanyahu bloc to form a government, especially given the willingness of some Change bloc members to cooperate with Arab parties, a course that Yisrael Beitenu rejects outright.