Liberman Vows to Oppose Netanyahu, Cites Oct. 7 Responsibility

Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, issued a strong statement on Thursday, holding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the October 7th Hamas attacks and pledging that his party will not sit in a government led by Netanyahu. "I call on everyone to say things clearly: Netanyahu bears responsibility for the October 7th massacre, and he must go home," Liberman wrote on his X account. He further declared unequivocally his party's refusal to cooperate with Netanyahu in the future, stating, "The world will turn upside down, we will not sit with him."

Liberman's remarks follow a clear stance from Yisrael Beiteinu that the party is committed to forming a government without Netanyahu, excluding Arab and Haredi parties. The party outlined its proposed agenda for such a government, emphasizing the need for a universal conscription law without quotas or exemptions for anyone. Additionally, they called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry as one of the new government's first actions.

This position reiterates Yisrael Beiteinu's demand for a conscription law that applies to all Israelis. The party also previously responded to comments by MK Gadi Eisenkot, asserting that they would not be swayed by pressure and that experience teaches against showing weakness. Yisrael Beiteinu directly questioned Eisenkot about his intentions for forming the next government, and Liberman's latest statement sharpens his party's red line against any coalition involving Netanyahu.