JERUSALEM, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, announced Friday that he is prepared to compromise on his long-standing demand for a mandatory enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in order to help form an anti-Netanyahu government.
A central issue in Lieberman's election campaign was mandatory military service for young ultra-Orthodox men. He has long opposed religious legislation and extra government funding for the ultra-Orthodox sector.
In a social media post Friday, Lieberman said national interests require "difficult decisions" and "painful compromises" to break the post-election political deadlock.
He also emphasized that his non-negotiable conditions remain: ending Benjamin Netanyahu's political era, avoiding another round of general elections, and rejecting any government that relies on the support or abstention of Arab parties such as Ra'am or the Joint List.
Lieberman's announcement could open the door for the ultra-Orthodox parties, namely Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), which have been Netanyahu's allies, to join an anti-Netanyahu coalition.
The two ultra-Orthodox parties hold a combined 13 seats in the Knesset, potentially giving opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the parliamentary majority he needs if both agree to join his coalition.
The opposition bloc, led by Eisenkot, won 48 seats in the parliament elections late last month, 13 seats short of the 61 required for a majority in Israel's 120-member parliament.
Lieberman said that once a 61-seat opposition government is established, "it will most likely be possible to add another three or four parliament members from Likud."
Late Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that he would task a lawmaker with forming the country's next government on Sunday, after representatives of factions totaling 67 parliament members recommended Eisenkot for the role.
On Thursday, the UTJ declined to recommend any candidate to form a government, while Shas remains loyal to Netanyahu and has recommended him as its preferred candidate.
The Israeli president said that the numbers alone would not determine his decision because he must consider who can actually form a government, "given the mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves." ■
