Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, attacked the military conscription plan of former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Liberman said the plan would leave exemptions from IDF service in place.
According to Liberman's characterization of Eisenkot's plan, the proposal would allow up to 3% of each draft cohort to defer service, roughly 4,500 students every year. In his view, that quota means students covered by it would continue to be exempted rather than drafted. The deferment mechanism would effectively preserve exemptions for bnei Torah who fall within the 3% quota.
Liberman also accused Eisenkot of undermining unity within the anti-Netanyahu bloc. He charged that Eisenkot's campaign is designed to finish larger than Likud, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party, so that Eisenkot can negotiate a government with Netanyahu after the elections.
To support the charge, he cited talks by Minister Miki Zohar about cooperation with Eisenkot. He also pointed to a reported initiative by President Herzog for a Netanyahu-Eisenkot government and to briefings from the White House.
He declared that universal military service and a constitution are not mere election slogans for Yisrael Beiteinu.
Lieberman's claim about White House briefings was the subject of an earlier denial. As JFeed reported, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on October 15 flatly denied a report claiming the Trump administration was pressuring Netanyahu to form a unity government with Eisenkot. "This story is completely untrue. Not even a little bit," Huckabee said, adding that the administration is not trying to interfere in Israel's elections.
In a statement on October 15 that drew a Likud response, Liberman said he would not support a minority government, even as a transitional arrangement, and would refuse to sit in any government headed by Netanyahu. He wrote that Yisrael Beiteinu would join only a coalition of Zionist parties, without the chareidi or Arab parties. Likud responded that "Eisenkot and Liberman have no government without Yair Golan and the Arab parties."
On September 29 opposition parties including Yisrael Beiteinu and Eisenkot's party announced their intention to coordinate ahead of the elections.
