Although now a member of the opposition, Yisrael Beytenu's Avigdor Liberman does not appear a likely candidate for an alternative government coalition led by main opposition party Zionist Union.
On Thursday, Liberman attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from the Right, calling on him not to meet with Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint Arab List.
The meeting, set for Thursday, is a routine one of the type the Prime Minsiter carries out occasionally with the heads of all parties – but Liberman warned Netanyahu that Odeh is different.
“Odeh is one of the fiercest opponents to the legitimacy of the State of Israel,” Liberman said. “By meeting with him, the Prime Minister is bestowing legitimacy on him to continue his work on fostering Israel's fifth column” of Arabs who seek to destroy the state, he said.
“We do not have the luxury of being mistaken,” Liberman stressed. “The difference between Odeh and traitorous MK Azmi Bishara,” who fled Israel after being accused of handing sensitive information over to Hezbollah, “is like the difference between Iranian's former President Ahmanijedad and current Presidenrt Rouhani. Odeh too has a smiling face that hides his true desire to destroy Israel, as Bishara tried to do."
“Netanyahu himself, on the day of the election, warned against 'the Arabs streaming to the polls,' and rightly so,” added Liberman.
“There were groups, especially the Palestinian Authority, who encouraged them to vote for the Joint Arab List, the same party Netanyahu is now inviting for a meeting.”