Liberman Accuses Eisenkot of Seeking a Netanyahu Coalition as Gantz Intervenes
Eleven days before Israel’s election, an opposition dispute has put possible coalition partners, rather than a joint campaign, at the centre of attention.
Avigdor Liberman accused Gadi Eisenkot on 16 October of preparing to join a government with Benjamin Netanyahu, opening a public dispute within Israel’s opposition before the 27 October election. Eisenkot has ruled out that partnership. Benny Gantz then intervened in Eisenkot’s defense, turning an argument about future coalition choices into an exchange about political and military records.
Liberman questions Eisenkot’s campaign strategy
The Yisrael Beytenu leader’s argument was that Eisenkot’s Yashar party was competing for votes already inside the opposition rather than expanding its overall support. Liberman said that strategy contradicted understandings reached among opposition leaders on 26 September and alleged that it pointed towards a future government with Netanyahu’s Likud.
Calling Eisenkot “Gantz 2,” Liberman invoked an earlier unity government rather than producing a new coalition agreement. He also criticized Eisenkot’s approach to conscription, a central campaign dispute over military service for ultra Orthodox men and the burden borne by those already serving.
An activist message reported by the Jerusalem Post urged supporters to make Yashar the largest party. That ambition concerns the size of one parliamentary faction; it does not, by itself, establish which other parties would join it in government.
Eisenkot answers with a different coalition goal
Eisenkot has publicly rejected joining a Netanyahu government. In his response on 16 October, he did not name Liberman, but told supporters to ignore political spin and concentrate on replacing the leadership that was in office during the 7 October 2023 attack.
He described his goal as securing more than 61 seats for a Zionist governing bloc. That is an aspiration, not an election result or an agreed coalition. Eisenkot has also rejected governing with the Joint List leadership, placing a separate limit on the partners available to him.
Why Gantz entered the argument
Gantz, the Blue and White leader and a former defense minister, defended Eisenkot’s military contribution and attacked Liberman’s criticism of it. Both Gantz and Eisenkot previously served as military chiefs of staff.
The precedent behind Liberman’s comparison is real, but its date matters: Gantz entered a unity government with Netanyahu in 2020. That episode explains the force of the accusation in this campaign; it does not establish that Eisenkot has negotiated a similar arrangement.
The largest party is not a governing majority
Israel elects a 120 member Knesset. Sixty one seats constitute an absolute majority, but finishing as the largest party does not automatically give its leader a government or an automatic first mandate to form one. The ability to assemble parliamentary support remains crucial.
Liberman added further restrictions on 15 October, rejecting even a temporary minority government and ruling out a government with Netanyahu, Arab parties or ultra Orthodox parties. Those public conditions narrow the combinations he is prepared to support. With eleven days left before voting, the dispute exposes competing coalition strategies, not a confirmed agreement to share power.
