Lieberman Willing to Make Painful Concessions on Haredi Draft Law

Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and a Knesset Member, announced his readiness to make concessions on the conscription law, despite personal opposition. He stated that the national interest necessitates overcoming differences and reaching compromises to form a stable government and prevent Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power. Lieberman emphasized that election results require all parties to reassess their positions, acknowledging the absence of easy solutions. He also recalled past warnings, including one in December 2016 about Hamas infiltration, which he claims were initially dismissed but later proved accurate. Lieberman noted that the "change bloc" lost between 7 and 8 seats in the final ten days of the recent election campaign, with 3 to 4 seats attributed to Yisrael Beiteinu shifting to Netanyahu's Likud party. He cautioned against repeating past mistakes, advocating for strategic, forward-thinking political moves akin to chess. He warned that a previous "change government" lasted just over a year, leading to Netanyahu's return with a 64-seat majority. Lieberman predicted that a minority government would be unstable and could ultimately result in Netanyahu securing an even larger majority. He outlined three core principles for political negotiations: ending Netanyahu's era, avoiding new elections, and not forming a government reliant on the abstention of the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra'am). While firmly opposing minority governments dependent on abstentions and vowing to vote against them, Lieberman indicated flexibility on other issues, including the draft law, stating that Israel's national interest and the Jewish people's welfare must supersede all else. He refuted speculation about his intentions, asserting his direct communication style and denying discussions about rotating the premiership, which he believes has harmed state administration since the days of Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres. Lieberman reiterated his opposition to Arab parties' support through abstention, calling for a 61-member coalition without their reliance to achieve a stable four-year government and return Israel to its proper course.