Likud launched a sharp attack Sunday on Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot and his opposition bloc partners, following reports of contacts to form an alternative government backed by Arab parties and possibly ultra-Orthodox factions.
“Eisenkot and his partners are trampling the trust of Israeli citizens,” Likud said in a statement. “They are breaking all their promises about cooperation with terror-supporting parties, and are working to form a government with them.”
Likud also slammed the possibility that opposition leaders would reach agreements with the ultra-Orthodox parties. The party claimed this represents a retreat from the demand for Haredi military service—one of the central issues in the opposition bloc’s campaign.
“And in the height of contempt, after four years of unbridled incitement against the Haredi public, they are abandoning the Haredi draft for the sake of lust for power,” the statement said.
The attack comes amid attempts to form a government backed by the 48 Knesset members of Eisenkot’s bloc and the 19 members of Ra’am and the Joint List. At the same time, the possibility of adding or relying on the ultra-Orthodox parties is being examined to broaden the government’s support base.
Likud leaders are seeking to put the gap between the commitments opposition parties presented during the election campaign and the options now being considered in political contacts at the center of the debate. “We cannot let this happen,” the party concluded.