Liberman urges opposition to forge alliances with small parties near electoral threshold

Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman urged opposition party leaders on Wednesday to join forces with smaller parties in order to avoid failing to reach the electoral threshold in the upcoming elections. This came as a coalition of right-wing and centrist parties continues to lag behind the required threshold, including Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, Unity party head Gilad Erdan, and The Zionist Home-The Reservists leader Tropper.

Liberman emphasized that these parties lack any chance of crossing the electoral threshold, but their failure to do so could cost the current opposition bloc three to four seats.

The opposition bloc finds itself in the final stages of party list submissions ahead of next week's deadline, with small parties facing a critical decision. Liberman called on the leaders of the current opposition bloc to act responsibly and make a final effort to forge alliances with these smaller parties. He added, "I call on the leaders of the serving bloc to act responsibly; we must all make one final effort to try to forge alliances."

Liberman's stance comes as Netanyahu has also called on small right-wing parties to unite, warning that running independently could harm their own prospects. Netanyahu's Likud party is a key part of the ongoing opposition coalition. Other parties in this coalition include Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar, B Yachad's Naftali Bennett, and Yair Golan's The Democrats.

In response to Liberman's call, Gantz reiterated his demand for a broad Zionist government to be formed post-elections that would not rely on extremists. He argued that either a full-fledged right-wing government or a minority government dependent on Arab parties is not the ideal solution. Gantz insisted that only a Zionist, cross-bloc government can pass a genuine conscription law before the new government is established and put an end to bloc-based governments.

Recent reports suggest that Gantz and Erdan have been discussing a possible alliance between their parties. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Zehut party leader Moshe Feiglin have formed a technical alliance, both aiming to surpass the electoral threshold in the upcoming elections. Smotrich and Feiglin plan to run together as a technical bloc, while Netanyahu previously encouraged Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to run on a joint list, a proposal Ben-Gvir rejected.