Members of the Jewish Home party praised talks aimed at bringing the Yisrael Beytenu party into the government.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman Wednesday afternoon, following a speech by the latter earlier in the day suggesting his willingness to join the coalition.

The two met for just over an hour, and agreed to open formal coalition negotiations.

In the wake of Liberman’s decision, Zionist Union chief Isaac Herzog halted his party’s own talks with Netanyahu, effectively ending weeks of speculation that the Knesset’s second largest party would join the coalition.

“These are the choices – there are no other options,” said Herzog at a press conference Wednesday. “We won’t continue negotiations at the same time – if Netanyahu wants to bring Liberman into [the government], he can let him in.”

Speaking with Arutz Sheva on Wednesday, Jewish Home MKs praised the development, saying that it would anchor the government more firmly to its rightist principles.

“This is a very good process for us. The inclusion of Liberman [in the government] will bring a truly right-wing government the likes of which has never been seen before in Israel.”

Jewish Home officials noted that a deal to bring Yisrael Beytenu into the coalition would likely result in Liberman replacing Moshe Yaalon as Defense Minister. They blasted Yaalon, arguing that he had harmed the nation’s interests on a number of occasions.

“Boogie [Yaalon] has done a great deal of damage to the settlement [movement], in relation to the IDF soldier involved in the Hevron incident, and with his handling of the blunt remarks by Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan,” a reference to Golan’s recent statements comparing Israel to pre-Holocaust Europe.

The officials also revealed that the termination of negotiations with the Zionist Union in favor of Liberman’s inclusion in the government were all planned ahead of time in a carefully orchestrated political move.

“We’re very satisfied with how things were handled with Herzog. The Likud coordinated it with us [the Jewish Home]; that’s why we were quiet about it the entire time. It was all carefully planned.”

Party officials noted that based on understandings with the Likud, they would not lose any ministries if Yisrael Beytenu does join the coalition.