BICOM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Avigdor Lieberman was obsessed with toppling the Government and had dragged the country to unnecessary elections.

In a speech last night Netanyahu addressed the Israeli public and said: “You voted in 65 MKs from parties who promised you that they would choose me to form a right-wing government. They all kept their promises. All except for Lieberman.” Netanyahu said Lieberman: “Is obsessed with toppling right-wing governments. Whenever he can, that’s what he does and if he will be able to, he will try to do it again with this election.”

On Wednesday night Netanyahu called Lieberman a ‘leftist’, and in response Lieberman said: “The man from Caesarea is calling the man from [the West Bank settlement of] Nokdim a leftist. I want to remind the Prime Minister that it was he who voted for the disengagement from Gaza, apologised to the [Turkish] dictator Erdogan and refused the death penalty and the evacuation of Khan El-Ahmar, and in response to 700 missiles transferred $30 million to Hamas.”

Labour Party leader Avi Gabby was heavily criticised yesterday for considering an offer to join a government with Netanyahu. Gabbay said that even though he had repeatedly vowed not to join a Netanyahu government, he: “Saw an opportunity to stop the erosion of democracy and those laws. If I had a moment of doubt that he was using us, I would not have entered the room.” Stav Shaffir, number four on the Labour list, said Gabbay had: “Ended his political career… The Labour Party needs to be rebuilt and cleared of old backroom dealings, in favour of a determined party that believes in its ability to win.”

In a series of opinion polls published last night, Kan News asked whether people supported the decision to hold another Knesset election – 28 per cent said yes, and 52 per cent said no. Forty-three per cent of those asked said Avigdor Lieberman was mainly responsible for the situation, 35 per cent said it was Netanyahu’s fault. A poll in Maariv produced a similar result – 30 per cent said they supported the decision for elections and 65 per cent said they didn’t. Forty-six per cent placed the blame primarily on Lieberman and 35 per cent on Netanyahu.