Liberman drops veto on ultra-Orthodox parties in coalition talks

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has dropped his veto on forming a government with ultra-Orthodox parties, enabling opposition talks with United Torah Judaism based on a softened military conscription law, according to a report by Amit Segal.

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has dropped his veto on forming a government with haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, opening the door for the opposition bloc to begin discussions with United Torah Judaism (UTJ), N12's Amit Segal reported on Thursday. The bloc is reportedly discussing the possibility of drafting a more lenient military conscription law. United Torah Judaism, a longtime coalition partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declined to recommend a candidate for prime minister to President Isaac Herzog during the party's consultation earlier on Thursday. UTJ's decision to abstain comes amid reported tensions between the haredi party and Netanyahu, and it benefits the opposition bloc seeking to replace him. Opposition party leaders have recently signaled greater openness to including haredi parties in their coalition. During a press briefing on Tuesday, Liberman ruled out joining a unity government with Netanyahu, along with the option of a minority government reliant on support from the Arab parties. However, his stance regarding joining a coalition with haredi parties appeared more lenient. Liberman stated on Tuesday that whoever would accept his set of principles and a conscription law to draft the haredim, he would "have no problem with."