🗳️ LIEBERMAN REJECTS PRE-ELECTION COMMITMENT TO BACK THE LARGEST OPPOSITION PARTY: Avigdor Lieberman pledged that there would be no separate alliances or axes within the bloc against other future coalition partners and said political cannibalism within the bloc must not be allowed.
He argued that demanding now that all opposition parties commit to recommending the leader of the largest party for prime minister would be a serious mistake stemming from a lack of political experience.
Lieberman pointed to the previous election, when Yesh Atid won 24 seats but the parties nevertheless ended up in opposition, arguing that each party must instead be allowed to maximize its electoral potential.
He said those who support Bennett and Lapid want to see Bennett as prime minister, while Yisrael Beytenu supporters want Lieberman as prime minister. According to Lieberman, if Bennett declared support for Eisenkot, Bennett would immediately lose 3–4 seats, while Yisrael Beytenu would lose at least two seats if Lieberman did the same.
Lieberman argued that only a small portion of those votes would move to Eisenkot, while the overwhelming majority would shift to the Netanyahu bloc or would not turn out to vote. In his assessment, that would produce a small gain for Eisenkot but a major loss for the bloc overall.
He therefore said all the parties should run through the election while presenting their own candidates for prime minister. Lieberman also said that after the election he would reveal a formula that would satisfy everyone.
The accompanying analysis by Amit Segal questioned why another formula would be necessary if Lieberman’s objection to supporting the head of the largest list is purely electoral. He also argued that Eisenkot would have little reason to be reassured by the statement and raised the question of whether Lieberman should tell the public before the election who the bloc’s candidate for prime minister would be.
⚠️ BEN-GVIR’S 10,000 NEGEV HOME DEMOLITION CLAIM CHALLENGED: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he had demolished “10,000 homes” in the Negev over the past year and a half. An accompanying analysis challenged that figure, noting that just two days earlier Ben-Gvir referred to the demolition of the 10,000th structure nationwide this year, not 10,000 homes in the Negev.
The analysis stressed that “structures” can include tents, shacks, caravans and livestock enclosures, estimating that actual permanent homes represented only a small fraction of the total. It also said the figures can include structures demolished more than once after being rebuilt, while many demolitions are carried out by owners themselves to avoid enforcement sanctions.
The analysis nevertheless credited Ben-Gvir, Amichai Chikli, the Bedouin Authority and other bodies with meaningful progress in enforcement against illegal construction. Its criticism focused specifically on the gap between that progress and the claim that 10,000 homes were demolished in the Negev alone.
🕯️ YEHUDA KATZ LAID TO REST AFTER 44 YEARS: Yehuda Katz was laid to rest on the Mount of Olives after 44 years.
May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion. And may HaShem avenge his blood.
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