Lieberman Would Not Recommend Gantz or Netanyahu for Premiership

By Staff, Agencies

Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday said he would not recommend either “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or former “Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF] chief Benny Gantz as prime minister, just as the “Israeli” entity’s so-called President Reuven Rivlin began consultations with party factions over who should form the next government.

“We will not budge in any direction,” Lieberman told reporters during a press conference. “Since Netanyahu and the Likud decided to close the bloc with ultra-Orthodox parties and with this messianic party [referring to the right-wing Yamina party], we cannot recommend Benjamin Netanyahu.”

“As for Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz,” Lieberman continued, “from what we can see he’s preserving the option to form a government with the ultra-Orthodox and the Joint List."

"I would like to stress that the ultra-Orthodox are a political opponent, not an enemy. As for the Joint List – they are definitely our enemy,” he stipulated.

Lieberman singled-out the leader of the Arab alliance, Aymen Odeh, who “boycotted Shimon Peres’ funeral and in the same week visited [Yasser] Arafat’s grave in Ramallah. The same Odeh who would not sign an agreement with Meretz because they are a Zionist party.”

The head of Yisrael Beiteinu reiterated his desire to form a “national unity government” compiled of the two biggest parties, Blue and White and the Likud. He added that going into a third election round over the argument of who comes first and second would be “childish.”

The current kingmaker wrote in a Facebook post Sunday night that "For all I care, they could flip a coin" to determine which leader would serve first as prime minister under a rotation deal in a broad unity government.

“As we promised the public, Yisrael Beitenu will do everything to force the two largest parties to form a broad liberal government,” he wrote again stating that it was a "childish argument" over who will be prime minister first that stands between the formation of a government or a third round of new elections.