Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman confirmed Saturday evening a C14 report that the left-center bloc is finalizing a dramatic plan to prevent Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu from being tapped to form a government—even if the right-wing wins the election.
In the 26th Knesset, which will be sworn in after the upcoming election, the left-center bloc intends to execute two swift moves before any government is formed, relying on a majority of 61 seats together with the Arab parties.
According to the plan revealed by C14 and now confirmed by Liberman, the first move will be ousting current Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and electing a new speaker from the current opposition. This would be an unprecedented move, as Knesset speakers are typically replaced only after a coalition is formed.
The second and more significant move is the immediate passage of the “Defendant Law” in three readings. The law, which would be anchored as a Basic Law, would stipulate that the president cannot assign the mandate to form a government to any Knesset member against whom an indictment has been filed.
This way, even if Netanyahu and the right-wing bloc have a majority to form a government, the president would be barred from assigning him the task. Liberman didn’t hide his intentions and made his position crystal clear.
In a statement released Saturday evening, Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman wrote: “We must remove Bibi. Immediately upon swearing in the 26th Knesset, we will work to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and elect a new Knesset speaker. After that, we will pass the ‘Defendant Law’ in three readings—and that’s the end of the story.”
Liberman’s words sparked immediate political uproar. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana responded sharply, saying Liberman admitted publicly for the first time Saturday evening that he intends to cooperate with the Arab parties after the election to form a government and execute what the right views as a governmental coup.
According to Ohana, this is an admission that the left is counting on votes from Ra’am, Hadash-Ta’al, and Balad to secure the required 61 votes, and that the entire purpose of the legislation is to circumvent the will of the voters.
Likud and right-wing parties attacked the plan and called it “canceling democracy.” They claim this is an attempt to change the rules retroactively after the election, through personal and retroactive legislation whose sole purpose is to prevent Netanyahu from serving, despite the fact that current law allows an indicted person to serve as prime minister until a final verdict.
In the left-center camp, they didn’t deny the reports. Sources there say the “Defendant Law” is a values-based and moral law that should have passed long ago, and that there’s no reason someone with a serious indictment should form a government.