Israeli opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman has endorsed Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister, ruling out joining any government led by Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel faces a political deadlock following last week's elections.
Speaking at a news conference in Modi’in on Monday, Lieberman said his Yisrael Beiteinu party would back Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, to form the next government.
He also ruled out backing a minority government, warning that it could collapse within a year and pave the way for Netanyahu's return to power.
“I will not sit in a government with Netanyahu,” Lieberman said.
Last week's parliamentary elections produced a fractured Knesset, leaving neither side with a clear route to power.
Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member parliament, compared with 48 for opposition parties and 19 for Arab parties.
A governing majority requires at least 61 seats.
Despite holding a combined 67 seats, opposition and Arab lawmakers have yet to agree on a coalition.
Lieberman admitted that the opposition's election performance had fallen well short of expectations.
“The opposition suffered a resounding failure in the elections. Winning 48 seats was far below our expectations,” he said, while also criticising Eisenkot and his team.
Lieberman said Yisrael Beiteinu would also back former prime minister Yair Lapid as Knesset speaker when the newly elected parliament convenes on 10 November.
“We will support Yair Lapid’s candidacy for Knesset speaker,” he said.
The opposition is pushing to oust incumbent speaker Amir Ohana, of Netanyahu's Likud party, over allegations that he violated parliamentary rules.
Support for Eisenkot is also growing among other opposition groups, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett's Together bloc endorsing his candidacy.
The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, are reportedly weighing a similar move.
Arab lawmakers have signalled they may also back Eisenkot in a bid to block Netanyahu from returning to office.
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