Lieberman Launches Party List, Pledges State Inquiry into Oct. 7

Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, unveiled his party's Knesset list on Sunday, vowing that the first action of a future government led by his party would be to establish a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7.

Speaking at an event in Tel Aviv, Lieberman characterized the upcoming elections as the most critical in Israel's history, occurring after what he termed the "greatest disaster" since the state's founding and nearly three years of a "bloody war of attrition" on six fronts without decisive victory. He reiterated warnings he issued before October 7, stating that Israel's situation is now worse than it was before the Hamas attack, which he attributed to a flawed perception, years of appeasement, and a failure to decisively confront threats.

Lieberman also addressed internal societal divisions, warning against Israel becoming a federation of religious and ethnic minorities. He called for a national, Zionist government prioritizing the state's welfare over sectoral or personal interests. He expressed respect for Gadi Eisenkot but noted significant differences in their approaches, suggesting Eisenkot's focus was on making his party the largest rather than ensuring the broader bloc's victory.

He firmly rejected any leniency towards draft exemptions for yeshiva students, stating that any such concession would lead to endless debates over numbers and the definition of Torah study. Lieberman emphasized the need for the "serving bloc" to win by gaining mandates from the opposing bloc, not from within their own coalition, to achieve a decisive victory.

Lieberman promised that his party would form the best government in Israel's history, free from internal conspiracies or underhanded tactics. He outlined six key priorities for his party: establishing a state inquiry into the October 7 failures, enacting a universal conscription law, mandating core curriculum studies, limiting the prime minister to two terms, creating a national task force against organized crime, and establishing a constitution for Israel. He advocated for a Jewish, Zionist, and democratic state that respects tradition without coercion, opposing Haredi imposition and promoting coexistence.