Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman issued a definitive statement Wednesday addressing the storm surrounding a Channel 12 report that Gadi Eisenkot had promised Ra'am representatives they would enter the next government.
Liberman's response was unequivocal: "Read my lips: No government will be formed with Ra'am." With Liberman categorically ruling out the possibility of establishing a government that includes Ra'am, Eisenkot's coalition strategy appears to have hit a dead end — he cannot form a government without Liberman's support.
Earlier Wednesday, Eisenkot addressed the report and flatly denied it: "A lie and falsehood. These things were never said, not even by hint. The position of Yashar! on this matter is clear and unambiguous: Partnership in government will only be possible with parties that meet the three well-known and publicly recognized foundational principles:
"Recognition of the values of the Declaration of Independence, recognition of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and service for all. We also emphasized the fact that parties that do not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization that the State of Israel has an obligation to destroy will not be part of any government we form."
