Liberman drops anti-chareidi slogan amid coalition talks

MK Avigdor Liberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, has updated the cover image on his social-media accounts. The new image on his Facebook page no longer carries the slogan that defined his election campaign, "End of the Netanyahu and chareidi rule era!", and shows only the party logo.

The visual change follows a substantive shift in Liberman's position in recent days. After the election, the Yisrael Beiteinu chairman declared he is open to forming a government and reaching agreements with the chareidi parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, and is willing to base a compromise framework on the draft law he himself proposed in 2018.

The 2018 draft law includes target mechanisms alongside graduated financial sanctions on yeshivos only, and is considered a significant softening compared to later legislative proposals. Liberman said that while adjustments are needed for the reality created after October 7, he views the 2018 framework as a legitimate starting point for coalition negotiations.

According to a report by Moran Azoulay in Ynet, while negotiations led by a team on behalf of Gadi Eisenkot proceeded slowly at first, the entry of Liberman's people into the picture significantly accelerated the process. A chareidi source who spoke to Ynet described the activity of Liberman's team as "a car accelerating at 200 km/h in a turn and overtaking the entire convoy."

According to the source, unlike general conversations, Liberman's people presented practical and concrete proposals and conveyed a clear message that he intends to advance the move in practice. Recent publications on his behalf, including a post he published on Friday and the announcement of his candidacy for chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, reinforced the impression that this is a serious move, the source said.

Liberman's profile images. Right: current; center and left: previous versions

The shift was also visible during the swearing-in ceremony of the new Knesset, when Liberman offered Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism to sit beside him, between himself and Naftali Bennett. Despite the smiles, the path to an agreement is still fraught with significant legal-political difficulty.

The central demand of the chareidim is that the draft law be formulated and pass the High Court test before the new government is formed. For them, this is not a future promise or a general commitment, but a precondition without which there will be no cooperation. Liberman himself made clear in his statement this morning that "we need to go to a draft law that passes the High Court."

Meanwhile, the Likud estimates it has succeeded in blocking the chareidi parties' rapprochement with the change bloc. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a long nighttime conversation last night in his office with MK Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism, in an attempt to prevent the chareidi parties from joining the intended government headed by Gadi Eisenkot.

Following the heavy pressure and the nighttime conversation, the Likud estimates it has succeeded in convincing the UTJ senior not to give up the main political asset in their hands, their support for forming a government, without receiving immediate compensation. Shas has made clear for its part that it continues to support Netanyahu.

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of Yashar, who received the mandate to form the government from President Yitzchak Herzog, made clear in the faction meeting that he will not abandon his principles. "I do not intend to set aside our conscience," Eisenkot declared. "Service for all citizens of Israel, we will not fold that flag."

According to the law, Eisenkot has 28 days to form the government, with the final date for presenting a government being December 6, 2026. If additional time is required, the president is authorized to grant an extension of up to 14 additional days.