Bennett and Liberman push for unity government without Joint List
Liberman stressed that the only option is a liberal national unity government.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, GIL HOFFMANAvigdor Liberman (L) Naftali Bennett (R)(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
New Right leader Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman both expressed their opposition to a government including the Joint List on Wednesday."A government including the Joint List will fail because no party will join such a government," said Bennett."The responsible and stately way is to form a national unity government headed by [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Blue and White leader Benny] Gantz," added Bennett.Liberman stressed that the only option is a liberal national unity government, during a interview on Army Radio on Wednesday morning. He stressed that the government can't include the "messianic" parties that are currently in the right wing bloc and can't include the Joint List.Liberman refused to answer directly questions concerning accusations by Likud Party members that he would not commit to ruling out supporting a minority left-wing government with the Joint List. Liberman insisted that Netanyahu is the only one who collaborates with the Arab MKs, but would not specifically say whether or not he would support such a minority government."Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to drag the state to a third round of elections," said Liberman on Army Radio. The former defense minister also took a swipe at Netanyahu when he said, "I have no interest in joining the Likud - the party and Netanyahu have no connection to the right."Liberman later wrote Facebook, "Five days ago, the head of Yisrael Beteynu's negotiating team, MK Oded Forer, contacted Likud to open negotiations for establishing a unity government. Until now, no response has been received. The conclusion is that the Likud is not interested in the establishment of a unity government, but only the PM's position and the ministerial positions."Blue and White's number two MK Yair Lapid posted on Facebook that "the next government can be formed within two days but one man is stopping all of it." Lapid said there could be a stable and cohesive coalition of the 79 MK's of Blue and White, Likud, Yisrael Beteynu and Labor-Gesher. "We are not even asking him to go home," Lapid said referring to Netanyahu. "All we are telling him is that he cannot be prime minister for the next two years, until his legal situation is clarified. I understand that he doesn't like it but this is what the country needs and the country is more important."
