A new initiative has reportedly been agreed upon by leaders of the parties classified as “centrist” and “right-wing,” according to which they will not recommend Binyamin Netanyahu as prime minister in the next elections, thereby denying him the chance to form the government.
The initiative, revealed by Channel 2 late Thursday, comes after Netanyahu’s erstwhile ally Yisrael Beytenu head MK Avigdor Liberman gave a speech last week, in which he promised not to sit in a leftist government, and likewise not to sit with Netanyahu under the current conditions.
While the pledges would appear to obligate him to remain in the opposition, talks held in recent weeks between the heads of “centrist” and “right-wing” parties have formulated a plan that apparently would force Likud to forego Netanyahu if it wants to remain in power.
The new initiative would have the party heads inform the president after the next elections that they will not agree to sit in a government formed by Netanyahu, but would be open to any other candidate for prime minister from Likud.
In this way they hope to force Netanyahu’s demotion within Likud, as the party will want to retain control and be allowed first crack and forming a coalition government by the president, should it receive the most mandates in elections as polls suggest it will.
Just this Monday Liberman held a joint meeting with Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid, in which the two slammed the government. Netanyahu responded by calling Liberman a “blabbering” leftist, to which Liberman charged him with selling out to the Arab Joint List party.
It was already revealed in the last elections that Liberman had planned to cooperate with Lapid and Moshe Kahlon of the Kulanu party to create a united bloc to unseat Netanyahu. The plan, exposed by ex-Yisrael Beytenu MK Faina Kirshenbaum, later fell apart as Liberman’s party came under investigation in a massive corruption scandal.
Netanyahu is currently in his fourth term as prime minister, and his third consecutive term in the role which he has now held since 2009.
