Yeshiva World News1 hour agoYisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman revealed late Tuesday night that he had already received approaches from figures within Likud following the release of Israel’s election exit polls.
Speaking to supporters after polling stations closed, Lieberman launched a fierce attack against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called on Likud members to replace their party leader.
Lieberman accused Netanyahu of placing personal political interests above the interests of the country and urged Likud lawmakers to initiate an internal rebellion against him.
He argued that removing Netanyahu would allow the national political camp to rebuild and potentially create new coalition possibilities.
The Yisrael Beytenu chairman also cautioned against drawing conclusions from the initial exit polls, saying the large number of ballots cast in special double envelopes could significantly affect the final results.
Lieberman estimated that the complete election picture might not become clear until Friday morning, emphasizing that his party would wait before determining its next political steps.
He said Yisrael Beytenu would make its decisions next week, expressing his intention to pursue the establishment of a Zionist coalition and significant changes to the country’s political direction.
The remarks come as most television exit polls show neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition securing a clear Knesset majority. The identities of the Likud figures who reportedly contacted Lieberman have not been disclosed, and no formal coalition negotiations have been confirmed.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Yeshiva World News1 hour agoU.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking to prevent National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from joining Israel’s next government and may also oppose the inclusion of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to a Wednesday report by Ynet citing sources close to the president.
The sources claimed that Trump is personally monitoring Israel’s election results and wants to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not include Ben-Gvir in his next coalition. According to the report, a government featuring the Otzma Yehudit chairman is simply “not an option” for the American president.
The development comes just hours after Trump publicly took credit for Netanyahu’s stronger-than-expected election performance, suggesting that his endorsement helped the prime minister recover politically. Sources close to Trump reportedly believe the president expects Netanyahu to take American interests into account when forming his next government.
With the election results showing no clear majority for either political bloc, Trump may attempt to encourage the formation of a broad national unity government, potentially involving Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot.
According to Ynet, discussions surrounding a possible arrangement between Trump and Netanyahu envision focusing on Iran during the coming year, followed by efforts to expand the Abraham Accords during the final year of Trump’s presidency. The report also raised the possibility of Netanyahu eventually stepping aside as part of a broader political agreement, although no such arrangement has been officially confirmed.
Expanding the Abraham Accords, particularly through normalization with Saudi Arabia, remains a major priority for Trump. However, several Arab countries have reportedly expressed reservations about pursuing normalization while Netanyahu remains prime minister, potentially complicating the president’s diplomatic ambitions.
The Jerusalem Post previously reported that figures within Trump’s inner circle have been advocating a unity government excluding Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. However, Trump has not publicly endorsed such a plan, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has denied claims that Washington is attempting to dictate the composition of Israel’s next government.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
