Israel
Liberman says he will compromise on ultra-Orthodox draft to unseat Netanyahu
By Jewish Life Staff, . Jewish Life.
Avigdor Liberman, leader of the secular-nationalist Yisrael Beyteinu party, said Friday he is prepared to "be flexible and compromise" on the question of drafting ultra-Orthodox, or haredi, men into the Israel Defense Forces, a position he has campaigned on for years. The statement, posted on X/Twitter, came as opposition figures explore whether they can assemble a governing coalition in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
What Liberman said
Liberman set out what he called "clear red lines" for any coalition he would join, according to The Jerusalem Post. The first was ending Netanyahu's time as prime minister. The second was that Israel must not be "dragged into additional elections." Third, he said he would not back a government that depended on The Joint List or Ra'am abstaining from votes to pass legislation.
On the draft question, Haaretz reported that Liberman said the anti-Netanyahu bloc, led by Eisenkot, must avoid another election "even if it means compromising on key issues, 'including the draft bill.'" Liberman also said he has no intention of entering a rotational prime ministership with Eisenkot, telling the Jerusalem Post that the rotation mechanism "harms the proper management of the state and must be consigned to oblivion."
How haredi parties responded
United Torah Judaism, a haredi political party, received the news with measured encouragement. "It is heartening to see the flexibility displayed by all political players regarding the issue of military conscription," UTJ chairman Yakov Asher said, according to the Jerusalem Post. He added that it was "painful to consider how much incitement and internal strife could have been avoided" had the same flexibility been shown earlier.
A source inside UTJ told the Israeli news site Walla, as cited by the Jerusalem Post, that Liberman's shift was not a surprise. "We've been hearing this talk ever since the elections," the source said, adding that conversations with opposition figures had made the direction clear. "If they provide a [satisfactory] conscription law, we'll go with them for sure," the source said.
Haaretz reported that a haredi representative said Eisenkot should "deliver the goods."
The coalition picture
Channel 12's Amit Segal had reported Thursday evening, before Liberman's post, that Liberman had dropped his veto on forming a government that includes haredi parties, the Jerusalem Post said. The opposition bloc was reportedly discussing a more lenient conscription law, and the Jerusalem Post noted an assumption that Shas, another haredi party, would be pressed to support the move under pressure from Rabbi Lando, described as one of UTJ's most senior spiritual leaders.
Not everyone in the opposition welcomed the shift. Yoaz Hendel, leader of the Reservists party, accused Liberman of abandoning his principles. "If you're ready to promote mass draft-dodging for the sake of power, then what makes you any different from [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu?" Hendel said, according to the Jerusalem Post. He also accused Liberman of breaking promises to IDF reservists, saying the issue was "the first thing you abandoned."
The reports do not say whether formal coalition talks have begun or when a government might be formed.
Sources
1. Liberman willing to compromise on haredi IDF draft law, UTJ chairman welcomes 'flexibility', jpost.com
2. Lieberman signals flexibility on Haredi conscription to form government without Netanyahu, haaretz.com