Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
Gadi Eisenkot will need to compromise, including with the Arab parties fresh from a historic victory in the October 27 parliamentary elections, to form what he has called a "national emergency government." But Advigor Lieberman could thwart him, preferring an alliance with the ultra-Orthodox and maintaining his firm opposition to a government with the Arabs.
He even went so far as to propose a government where Lieberman himself would be the prime minister. Haaretz reports this, noting that the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party could be a thorn in Eisenkot's side.
According to Lieberman, in fact, a government could be formed in Israel with United Torah Judaism, which represents the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox community, and Shas, which represents the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox community.
Lieberman himself could lead this government, writes Haaretz, emphasizing that the right-wing leader has categorically ruled out the option of power-sharing that would involve a rotation of the prime ministerial post.
Many, in fact, interpret this move as Lieberman's attempt to become prime minister. However, Lieberman hasn't explicitly stated this, not even to his aides.
But, Haaretz writes, Lieberman told his men that if Eisenkot presents a minority government to the Knesset, with the support of the Joint Arab List and the Joint List abstaining, he will not abstain. Lieberman will vote against the government and bring it down.
Compared to the ultra-Orthodox parties, Eisenkot would prefer them to support his government from outside the coalition by abstaining, a solution he considers the most advantageous for all parties involved. Eisenkot's team is also considering another possible scenario. The possibility of forming a government with the four predominantly Jewish parties in the bloc, along with the United Arab List and United Torah Judaism, has not been ruled out. Such an agreement could facilitate Lieberman's acceptance of the United Arab List's participation, since the government would not need to rely on the Joint List as well.
Both Eisenkot and Lieberman are trying to present their respective efforts to form a government as complementary rather than competing. However, both are aware that it will be difficult to reconcile their negotiating strategies, Haaretz notes.
Meanwhile, the Shin Bet has failed to provide any evidence to support allegations of foreign interference in Israel's parliamentary elections held on October 27. The newspaper Haaretz reported this, citing senior security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. "This is certainly not a security issue, and it is highly unlikely that it is a crime," an official told Haaretz.
The investigation was led by Shin Bet chief David Zini. According to some sources, Zini claimed that up to 100 million shekels, equivalent to $35 million, may have been sent by a foreign power to influence the elections in favor of Arab parties. The primary suspect was Qatar. According to Haaretz, however, investigators are currently examining the possible transfer of a few hundred thousand shekels to Arab parties by the Palestinian Authority (PNA), which is not a foreign state.
The Israeli newspaper adds, however, that no evidence has yet emerged to support this accusation, even though dozens of people have been questioned. "We only have unsubstantiated intelligence information," an official quoted by Haaretz as saying, emphasizing that "there will be no criminal investigation."
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