Counting on Smotrich: Liberman's plan to seize the premiership

Avigdor Liberman's team is formulating a plan to establish a new right-wing bloc after the elections, including Naftali Bennett and Ofer Winter, aiming to bypass Gadi Eisenkot and demand the premiership in a rotation where Liberman is first. Concurrently, they are considering adding Knesset members from Likud and later Bezalel Smotrich, to form a government without relying on Arab factions.

At the headquarters of Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman, an ambitious political plan is being formulated: establishing a new right-wing bloc immediately after the elections, aiming to bypass Gadi Eisenkot and demand the premiership, at least in a rotation where Liberman would be first. According to the report, the planners seek to add Naftali Bennett, who is reportedly a partner in the planning, and Ofer Winter, who is completely unaware of the move. Liberman believes that creating a right-wing alternative within the left-wing bloc will facilitate the addition of Bezalel Smotrich and parts of the Likud. The central argument to be presented to Smotrich is that a government led by Liberman would be a right-wing government in every respect, unlike a government led by Eisenkot, who is considered left-wing by the right. Liberman intends to present his experience as defense, foreign, and finance minister, and his promise not to sit with the Democrats and Arabs, as grounds for his demand to be first in the rotation.