Liberman Warns Against Unifying Around Single Candidate, Cites Potential Mandate Loss

Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, stated in a radio interview on Thursday that focusing on a single candidate for the opposition bloc could cost them votes. He argued that while uniting behind one leader might seem beneficial, past experiences, like the merger of Bennett and Lapid, showed it led to losses. Liberman believes that each party must maximize its own potential, estimating that committing to a single candidate upfront could reduce their bloc's mandate by three to four seats.

Liberman also addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's continued high poll numbers despite the failures leading up to and during the October 7th Hamas attack. He asserted that Netanyahu, having set the equation of leadership equaling responsibility, cannot escape accountability. Liberman drew a parallel to the sentencing of a military academy head to seven years in prison for ministerial negligence following a deadly training exercise, contrasting it with the lack of accountability for the failures of October 7th, which resulted in over 2,000 deaths and tens of thousands of wounded soldiers.

He suggested that Netanyahu could face charges of criminal negligence at best and criticized the Prime Minister's decisions, including facilitating the transfer of Qatari funds into Gaza. Liberman predicted that the upcoming elections would be dominated by the events of October 7th and the subsequent lack of accountability.

Furthermore, Liberman condemned a film he described as a "blood libel" against IDF soldiers and Israel, calling its creators "traitors." He expressed hope that the military would pursue criminal charges against them, emphasizing that this was not the first time the creators had engaged in such accusations.