Lieberman to Recommend Eisenkot, Boycotts Netanyahu Government

During a press briefing, Lieberman also declared his party's support for Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid to become the next Knesset Speaker, with the election for the post expected next week. Lieberman stated that a minority government will not happen and that he opposes repeat elections or direct elections for prime minister. While Yisrael Beiteinu and The Democrats will recommend Eisenkot, the Shas party announced it will recommend Netanyahu.

Despite backing Eisenkot, Lieberman criticized him for the opposition's election performance, calling their 48 seats a failure and blaming Eisenkot's campaign for costing the bloc seven to eight Knesset seats. Lieberman expressed a desire to partner with Likud, but only if Netanyahu is not leading the party. Political commentator Daphna Liel noted that Lieberman did not proactively address forming a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties, suggesting he may be waiting for both Eisenkot and Netanyahu to fail.