Avigdor Liberman
Avigdor LibermanKobi Richter/TPS

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, who declared on Saturday night that he would force the establishment of a unity government between the Likud and Blue and White parties, made different comments just two months ago.

"Forming a unity government purposelessly will mean forming a paralyzed government and we do not want a paralyzed government," Liberman said at a toast on the eve of Passover, just a week after the previous elections.

"The State of Israel has known some unity governments or emergency governments, during the really difficult times facing the people and the state or on the eve of the Six Day War or during an economic crisis. But in the situation that we currently are in, there is no reason for such a national unity government to be a national paralysis government," he added at the time.

On Saturday night, Liberman said that following the elections this coming September, he will recommend the leader of the largest party for prime minister.

"In the past week, when Netanyahu tried to center the campaign about the question of who will be prime minister, I was shocked to see the wild and embarrassing competition which broke out between Gantz and Netanyahu regarding who will surrender and who will give in more to the haredim," Liberman wrote on Facebook.

The most important issue that voters need to think about when they vote, continued Liberman, is "whether [the government] will be a government of Jewish law or a nationalistic and liberal government."

In the current situation, he said, "The catastrophe that the public still isn't so aware of is that of the State's budget and the expected security challenges. Our job is to force the Likud and Blue and White to create an emergency unity government which will be nationalistic and liberal: Yisrael Beytenu, Likud, and Blue and White. A government which represents the will of the vast majority of Israeli citizens."

Refusing to promise to recommend Netanyahu, Liberman added, "The party which will receive the most Knesset seats will be the one whose candidate is asked to form a government - without the haredim and without [Otzma Yehudit candidate] Itamar Ben-Gvir."

"After making a decision regarding the State budget, agreements regarding security, and agreements regarding religion and state, a coalition will be formed. Only then, anyone who wants these basic things can join, and we'll be happy to have him," he concluded.

The Likud party later responded to Liberman's comments, saying in a statement, "The cat is out of the bag. Liberman said clearly that he's willing to sit with Lapid and Gantz and to force the creation of a left-wing government. Whoever wants a right-wing government should vote only for the Likud, led by Netanyahu."

Shas also responded to Liberman's call to create a unity government without the haredi parties, saying, "Liberman is no longer relevant. He'll remain outside the next government.”

"He's done with the right, he's locked in with the left, and therefore he's stressed, hysterical, trying to garner votes, but he'll fail as always. Liberman, who once said this and then said that, has proven again that he is a cynical and unreliable politician. This is another of Liberman's jokes."