Ayelet Shaked calls for right-wing alliance amid shifting dynamics in anti-Netanyahu bloc

“I think a connection between Liberman and Bennett could offer a significant alternative for the right-wing voters and largely increase that bloc,” she said in an N12 news site interview on Saturday evening.

“This is my personal opinion. I really believe that after October 7, Netanyahu needs to go home,” she added.

During Bennett’s time as prime minister in 2021, the party he led was Yamina. After his coalition’s ultimate collapse, he stayed on the sidelines, quietly exiting the political sphere. Meanwhile, Yamina was run by Shaked in the 2022 elections, but failed to pass the electoral threshold. She then announced her departure from politics for the foreseeable future.

Among the party leaders in the opposition bloc aiming to replace Netanyahu are Liberman, Bennett, opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar), Benny Gantz (Blue and White), and Yair Golan (the Democrats).

Despite the party leaders’ shared goal of ousting Netanyahu, some fall on opposite ends of the political spectrum. For instance, while Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu is on the Right, Golan’s Democrats is on the Left.

On Sunday, Liberman called on Bennett, Lapid, and Eisenkot to make an open commitment to support the enforcement of shared conscription responsibilities for all Israeli citizens in the country by backing “a draft law for everyone.”

Liberman’s call for alignment comes as the current government is advancing a law it claims will draft haredim (ultra-Orthodox) to the IDF. Critics argue that the law is a political measure that will not enforce conscription. Meanwhile, the IDF has repeatedly warned that it lacks workforce, especially after over two years of war.

Liberman said that the commitment he expected from the three opposition party leaders would be “a draft law for everyone – Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Circassians. In two tracks, military and civilian, with the IDF determining who is designated for military service, and all others serving in a meaningful and contributive civilian track.”

“Without an explicit commitment from all opposition leaders to such a law, it will not be possible to establish a true Zionist and liberal coalition,” he said.

There have been numerous talks within the opposition bloc on creating guidelines for the next government and potentially joining forces. Last month, Eisenkot called to form a united list with Bennett and Lapid.

In recent weeks, critics have questioned whether Bennett would be willing to form a government with Netanyahu after the elections, since he had not directly stated his position. Bennett has been trailing Netanyahu’s Likud in recent polls ahead of the elections.

Throughout Sunday, Bennett and Netanyahu clashed in posts on X/Twitter directed at one another, accusing each other of failed Hamas policy and the handling of Qatari funds.

The former prime minister had listed seven facts “that prove Bennett is bad for Hamas and Netanyahu is good for Hamas” in one post. Among the claims was that Netanyahu had “provided $30 million a month to Hamas in suitcases of cash.”

Netanyahu’s response was directed at both Bennett and Gantz, sharply criticizing what he referred to as their “archives.”

“When Naftali Bennett became prime minister and Benny Gantz defense minister, they restored the payments from Qatar and even doubled them with a similar grant from the Palestinian Authority,” Netanyahu said.