Eisenkot and Lieberman Meet to Boost Election Turnout

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, and Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, met Tuesday to discuss preparations for the upcoming elections. The two leaders agreed that their primary objective is to increase voter turnout and emphasized the importance of voting for one of the four "serving bloc" parties, while avoiding parties that may not pass the electoral threshold. A joint statement from their parties indicated that Eisenkot and Lieberman will continue their cooperation with the goal of winning the election and replacing the current government.

Earlier this week, Lieberman had reiterated his opposition to a minority government, indirectly criticizing Eisenkot by stating he would not allow a plan for a minority government supported by Arab lawmakers to advance. Lieberman called discussions of a minority government "dangerous" and a "trap," arguing that while it might seem appealing in the short term, it could lead to a worse situation in the long run. He specifically cited the support of lawmakers from Ra'am and the Joint List, who he claimed have defined Hamas as a charity and accused IDF soldiers of genocide and crimes against humanity after the October 7th massacre.

Lieberman further argued that a minority government is inherently unstable and susceptible to blackmail, and would not survive long. He predicted that such a scenario would lead to Benjamin Netanyahu's return with a larger mandate in subsequent elections. He urged all opposition parties to understand that a short-term minority government would be a long-term disaster for Israel. To win, he stated, 5-4 mandates must be shifted from the "evading bloc" to the "serving bloc," and that talk of a minority government signals weakness and defeatism.

Lieberman concluded by stressing the need to focus on bringing people to the polls and voting for the four "change bloc" parties, warning that any vote for "atmosphere parties" that do not pass the electoral threshold is effectively a vote for Netanyahu. He expressed confidence that with 76% or higher voter turnout, they would win decisively and establish a stable, liberal, Zionist government to rectify the damage caused by the current "evading bloc" government.