Liberman distances himself from opposition allies, pushes for unity government - report

Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman has reportedly severed ties with opposition allies and is advocating for a unity government, according to a Wednesday report by N12 News. The report states that Liberman has stopped answering phone calls from his opposition counterparts since the day after the recent elections, with the exception of a call to Attorney-General Gali Baharv-Miara to initiate a criminal probe into Netanyahu for allegedly attempting to involve the IDF in a military confrontation to delay the election.

Liberman's party, currently projected to secure seven seats in the Knesset, has fallen short of pre-election polls that anticipated as many as nine seats. The report suggests that Liberman lost ground to Naftali Bennett, whose B Yachad party absorbed his mandates. However, Liberman's strategy of relying on Likud fracturing from within did not materialize as Likud remains the largest faction in the Knesset.

Liberman reportedly does not intend to switch sides and prefers that Eisenkot be the one to align with Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is reportedly considering forming a unity government with Eisenkot, based on sources close to the prime minister. Sources close to Liberman claim that he is "waiting it out," as a security escalation in the country could open more opportunities for realignment.