Lieberman Drops Veto on Haredi Parties, Paving Way for Government Talks

Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, has officially lifted his long-standing veto on cooperating with Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, signaling approval for negotiations to form a joint government. The move, reported by Amit Segal on Channel 12 News, comes despite Lieberman's pre-election pledge not to sit with Haredi parties, Netanyahu, or Arab parties. According to the report, Lieberman now favors replacing Netanyahu through a government that does not rely on Arab parties.

The potential coalition talks are reportedly based on a conscription law proposed by Lieberman in 2018, which includes financial sanctions on yeshivas only after three years and no personal sanctions on yeshiva students. The "Change bloc" views the United Torah Judaism party's decision not to recommend Netanyahu to the President as a sign of its willingness to join a new government. Hopes are high that this move will also encourage Shas to join, forming a coalition of 61 Knesset members.

Segal estimated that if a government is formed comprising the 48 mandates of the Change bloc and the 13 mandates of the Haredi parties, a rotation in the Prime Minister's office between Gadi Eisenkot and Avigdor Lieberman could occur. However, Shas still supports Netanyahu, and Rabbi Moshe Maya has expressed opposition to a left-wing government. Concurrently, Eisenkot is exploring the possibility of forming a minority government as early as next week.