Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman sharply criticized Yesh! party leader Gadi Eisenkot in a tense Motzei Shabbos meeting between the two, according to a report in Ynet.
Sources familiar with the conversation said Liberman accused Eisenkot of running a campaign that damaged the opposition bloc's chances of winning the election, particularly by focusing on the possibility of forming a minority government.
One issue raised at the meeting was a plan to replace Knesset speaker Amir Ohana even before the next government is formed. According to the report, Liberman expressed doubt that Eisenkot could put forward an experienced and suitable candidate for the role from within his own party.
The confrontation comes as the opposition bloc struggles to formulate a path to forming a government, in part because of Liberman's firm opposition to any coalition cooperation with the Arab or chareidi parties.
Tensions escalated after Eisenkot confirmed he would examine forming a government that would rely on abstention by United Torah Judaism and Ra'am, with MK Yoav Segalovitz as the only member actively supporting it. The plan does not include negotiations with the Joint List, but rests on the assumption that the party would not oppose a government working to replace Netanyahu. Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi has previously stated that his party wants to bring down Netanyahu's government.
Liberman made clear over the weekend that his position has not changed and that Yisrael Beiteinu will not join a coalition that relies on the Joint List or Ra'am. In a post on X, he presented a series of statements by MKs from both parties that, he said, prove there is no basis for cooperation with them.
Among other examples, he cited MK Ofer Cassif's support for proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, statements by Ra'am MK Yasser Hujirat regarding Hamas, and remarks by Oussama Saadi on election night at the Joint List headquarters.
"Whoever wants to rely on terror supporters, let them be ashamed. Yisrael Beiteinu will not be there," Liberman concluded.
Both Yisrael Beiteinu and Yesh! declined to comment on the report of the exchange at the meeting.
