Lieberman: Attempts to form government failed, we are holding third election

Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said that all efforts “to form a unity government or a narrow government in Israel have failed” and therefore, we are heading to another election.

Lieberman added that the responsibility for establishing a unity government rests with the Likud parties, led by interim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the White Blue Alliance (Kahol Lavan), led by Benny Gantz.

He stated in an interview with the official Hebrew radio on Thursday that he “will not join a narrow government,” noting that there are people in the Likud, who still believe that he can be persuaded to join a right-wing government.

He indicated that he would support the 25 February elections, accusing the Likud and Blue White parties of irresponsibility, adding that “it is unclear how they expect the public to believe them if they don’t believe in each other.”

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Lieberman revealed that the disagreement between the Likud and White Blue is about who will be the prime minister first, not because of indictments against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to him, “all parties from the right and the left will provide guarantees for the rotation agreement between Netanyahu and Gantz, and the dispute is just an excuse for their refusal to form a unity government.”

Despite Lieberman’s statements about intending to join a narrow right-wing government, some in the Likud believes that he can be persuaded, and even the possibility of convincing him to return to the party, as 60 Likud local authority heads asked Lieberman to participate in the narrow government. They also organised a conference entitled “Lieberman, Come Home,” to be held next Monday, reported the same radio.

Lieberman asserted that he “received an invitation to attend the conference, and he will be there.”

Only six days are left until the expiration of the mandate given to the Knesset deputies to choose a deputy with the support of 61 Knesset members to form a government. Thus, if this last option fails, Israel will head for a third election next February.

There has been a political vacuum in the occupying state for nearly a year. The Knesset elections were held in April and September 2019; however, no government was formed as a result of the failure of the elected parliamentary blocs to agree on a government supported by the parliament, which might lead to the holding of a third election within a year, most likely in February 2020.