Liberman is risking another election to secure his right-wing political future

Avigdor Liberman announced he will not join or support a minority government after the upcoming election, blocking a path considered by Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party. He also ruled out sitting with Arab-majority or ultra-Orthodox parties. Liberman plans to lure Likud MKs to form a Zionist coalition, but his electoral calculations are at odds with current polls. The analysis frames his moves as driven by a personal vendetta against Netanyahu and a desire to eventually lead Likud.

Avigdor Liberman announced on Thursday that after the upcoming election, he would not join or support a minority government — a parliamentary arrangement where a governing bloc of fewer than 61 lawmakers survives thanks to outside votes. The announcement blocks a path being considered by Gadi Eisenkot, whose Yashar party has overtaken Likud in recent polls. Liberman also ruled out sitting with Arab-majority parties or ultra-Orthodox parties, which have conditioned joining the next government on a law exempting yeshiva students from military service. He said he plans to lure right-wing Knesset members away from Likud to make up the numbers. The article notes that Liberman's electoral calculations — requiring 75% turnout of the change bloc's supporters and many ultra-Orthodox voters staying home — are at odds with current opinion polls showing neither bloc reaching 61 seats. The analysis frames Liberman's maneuvers as driven by a longstanding personal vendetta against Netanyahu and a desire to eventually lead Likud in the post-Netanyahu era.