Liberman tells Eisenkot: You'll be PM, I'll oust Netanyahu

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman met today (Monday) with Yesh party leader Gadi Eisenkot, who received the mandate to form a government from President Yitzchak Herzog. According to a report by Yuval Shagev and Michael Shemesh on Channel 13, Liberman told Eisenkot during the meeting that he has no interest in the prime minister's role but demanded that Eisenkot prepare his party and the change bloc for compromises in the coalition negotiations.

"You will be prime minister. I'm not asking for that position for myself. I'm asking you to give me time to work. There are no shortcuts. I am committed to replacing Netanyahu. You need to prepare your party and the bloc for the compromises that will be necessary," Liberman told Eisenkot during the meeting, according to the report.

During the conversation, Eisenkot asked Liberman to assist in contacts with the chareidi parties and to work toward understandings that would enable them to join the coalition. The two agreed that talks with the chareidim must be exhausted first, and only afterward should other options for forming a government be examined.

The upshot of the agreement, according to the report, is that the possibility of forming a minority government with support from the Arab parties will wait until negotiations with the chareidi parties have been exhausted. Meanwhile, Channel 13 reported that negotiations between Eisenkot and United Torah Judaism have already begun.

Alongside the coalition contacts, another development emerged around the Knesset speaker position. After days of talks among Eisenkot, Liberman and Beyachad party chairman Naftali Bennett regarding the identity of the candidate for the role, Bennett sent a message to Eisenkot: "You will choose the permanent Knesset speaker."

However, United Torah Judaism announced earlier that it refuses Yesh's proposal to cooperate with replacing the Knesset speaker already at the opening session of the 26th Knesset, which will be sworn in tomorrow afternoon.

United Torah Judaism explained that "the replacement must be done simultaneously with the formation of the government, not with the convening of the Knesset, in order to prevent an absurd situation that could arise in which the speaker would be opposed to the government that is formed."

Shas also did not express willingness to join the move at this stage. A senior source in the party told Channel 13: "We have not received instructions to cooperate with replacing the Knesset speaker."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released another video in which he called for the formation of a unity government, but did not mention the possibility of rotation in the prime minister's position.

"This is an essential need and the need of the hour. This government must include all the Zionist parties — and also the chareidi parties," Netanyahu said.

The developments come ahead of the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset, as Eisenkot continues contacts to form a government, with negotiations with the chareidi parties and agreements among the leaders of the change bloc now at the center of the talks.