The key facts

  • Liberman: the transitional government cannot make decisions dragging Israel into war without parliamentary oversight and the approval of 'all' security agencies
  • Katz earlier said that he and the prime minister 'do not need the approval of the opposition' to issue army orders
  • Eisenkot received the mandate to form a government: 67 recommendations versus 46 for Netanyahu, with a deadline of 28 days and a possible 14-day extension

Dispute over the transitional government's powers

Yisrael Beiteinu party leader and former defense minister Avigdor Liberman warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against decisions that 'could drag Israel into war without parliamentary oversight.' According to him, the transitional government has no right to make such decisions without Knesset control and the full approval of all security agencies — he specifically stressed the word 'all.' The statement was published on the social network X.

The defense minister's opposing position

Liberman's remarks came after a statement by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who earlier on Thursday said that neither he nor the prime minister 'need the approval of the opposition or any legal body' to issue orders to the army. Liberman also joined Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, who warned Netanyahu on Wednesday against launching a military operation.

Context: forming a new government

The political situation escalated after the October 27 elections, in which Netanyahu's bloc won 53 mandates, the opposition 48, and the Arab parties 19 in the 120-seat Knesset, with no bloc holding an absolute majority. On Sunday, President Isaac Herzog officially tasked Eisenkot with forming a government: his candidacy was supported by factions representing 67 deputies, versus 46 for Netanyahu; seven abstained from giving recommendations. Eisenkot has 28 days with a possible 14-day extension. Negotiations are complicated by disagreements over cooperation with the Arab parties and by the ultra-Orthodox factions' demands for exemption from military service. Liberman and Eisenkot agreed to negotiate with the ultra-Orthodox parties, but Liberman rejected a government dependent on Arab factions. Democrats party leader Yair Golan said on Wednesday that a new government could be formed within three weeks, advocating cooperation with the United Arab List (Ra'am) and support from the Arab Joint List.