Avigdor Liberman, leader of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party, said on Sunday that he would join a unity government “with no conditions” as long as its aim was the total destruction of the Hamas terrorist organization.
“If the prime minister, the defense minister and the [Israel Defense Forces] chief of staff stand in front of the cameras and inform the people of Israel that the government has decided to eliminate the terrorist organization Hamas and all the terrorist leaders and will not settle for anything less than that, I will join a national emergency government without any conditions,” said Liberman.
“I understand that we have other challenges in the north against Hezbollah, hostages inside the Gaza Strip, the international community and many other challenges. We will know how to deal with everything at the same time, but the order of priorities must be clear: first of all, the elimination of Hamas and the leaders of Hamas,” he added.
On Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to join an emergency government following the deadliest terror attack in Israeli history.
On Saturday morning, Hamas terrorists infiltrated several Israeli communities, taking at least 100 hostages back to Gaza. At least 700 people were killed in shootouts and rocket attacks and the death toll continues to climb.
Lapid responded that he would support the government during the war.
“At times like these, there is no opposition or coalition in Israel. We will give full backing to the security forces for a harsh response against terrorism and its proxies. Only in this way will we restore security to the residents of the south and to the rest of the country, and bring back the captives and the missing,” said Lapid.
However, in a swipe at Netanyahu’s coalition partners, Lapid added that he was willing to join “a reduced, professional emergency government” and described the current Cabinet as “extreme and dysfunctional.”
Gantz, who leads the National Unity Party, said he is willing to join an emergency government on the condition that it “deal with security challenges alone.”
Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate
Edited by Debrah and Newsdesk Manager
