Liberman and Lapid
Liberman and LapidFlash 90

Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid and No. 2 in the Blue-White faction discussed today the crisis in talks to form the fifth Netanyahu coalition.

"I now said on Radio Reka what everyone knows," Lapid said in his Twitter account. "If Liberman enters the government, he'll have to compromise on pensions and the Russian public won't get anything.

"If he waits a few months, he gets 55 sure votes from us to raise the pensions to the size he promised, and with him we have 61 votes, a full majority," he added.

However, many commentators on Twitter reminded Lapid that the 55 opposition seats and Lapid's five totaled only 60 seats in the end.

Meanwhile, Yediot Ahronot reported senior Likud officials said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was seriously considering the possibility of forming a temporary coalition of 60 MKs without Liberman in light of the many difficulties in conducting the coalition negotiations between Likud and Yisrael Beyteinu.

In the previous term, Netanyahu formed a narrow coalition of 61 MKs until Liberman and his party joined the coalition and increased it to 66 MKs.

The report also said such a move could succeed only if Liberman abstained or would abstain in the Knesset vote on government approval. If Liberman decides to oppose the vote, a majority will not be obtained to present the government. The Likud believes that if such an option is reached as a last resort, Liberman will not object in practice so he will not be accused of being the one who overthrew a right-wing government.