Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that his camp will win the next election and block the formation of a left-wing coalition led by opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman, and Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday escalated his campaign rhetoric, vowing that his camp will win the upcoming election and prevent the formation of a left-wing government comprising opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman, and Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas. The statement, posted earlier today, explicitly groups Liberman — a right-wing rival who recently suggested Netanyahu might not run — with Eisenkot and Abbas, in an apparent effort to rally his base and discourage defections.
The new declaration follows a series of statements over the weekend. On Saturday evening (Aug 22, 20:19 Jerusalem), Netanyahu warned that Eisenkot "knows he cannot form a government without Yair Golan and Mansour Abbas to establish a Palestinian state." Eisenkot responded later that evening, stating that no Palestinian state would be established under his government, as reported by Israel Today. Netanyahu also reiterated his opposition to a Palestinian state under Iranian control in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. The thread shows a rapid exchange of claims and counterclaims, with each side seeking to define the terms of the election contest.
The Zioneer has previously reported on Netanyahu's efforts to frame the opposition as an inherently leftist bloc. On July 1, Likud circulated a message to ministers and lawmakers stating it would not sit under center-left figures like Eisenkot. On June 15, Netanyahu dismissed Liberman's claim that he might not run, vowing victory. On June 28, Netanyahu pledged to form a broad national unity government and ruled out a Palestinian state. Eisenkot, for his part, launched his campaign on June 30, positioning himself as a security-first alternative, and on July 7 claimed that only his Yashar party could form a "Zionist conscription" government.
The election date has not been set, and the exact composition of a potential opposition coalition remains unclear. Liberman's political trajectory — a right-wing figure who has signaled openness to a centrist alignment — adds uncertainty. Netanyahu's framing of a "left-wing" government including Liberman is a deliberate rhetorical move, but whether it will hold in the campaign remains to be seen.
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