MK Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu party responded to Yashar! chairman Gadi Eisenkot's criticism of his refusal to recognize Eisenkot as the anti-Netanyahu bloc's candidate for prime minister.
"Avigdor Liberman has no ego and he has experience, and experience teaches us that one must never appear pressured at any stage," Yisrael Beytenu said.
The party added: "Yisrael Beytenu is committed to establishing a Zionist government without Netanyahu, the Arab parties or the haredi [parties], which will pass a Draft Law for everyone - without quotas, without targets and without exemptions for anyone - and will establish a state commission of inquiry in accordance with the law as the first decision of the next government. What is important is strengthening the bloc of those who serve and establishing a stable government."
The statement concluded with a clear jab at the Yashar party leader: "It would be very appropriate for Gadi Eisenkot to clarify to the public who his partners will be the day after the elections."
Earlier, in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet, Eisenkot criticized Liberman and "Together" chairman Naftali Bennett, saying: "They are making a mistake by not wanting to establish basic rules for [selecting] the candidate for prime minister. They are hurting the chances of winning."
He added, "The public wants change. These statements, this old politics of 'we'll pull tricks and decide who will be prime minister' - that is something that we cannot accept. Let both of them work and explain how experienced they are and what they bring, and I will speak about the leadership and determination I bring and my path to uniting the country. And the public will decide."
"Anyone who is counting on becoming prime minister with eight [Knesset] seats does not understand what has happened in the State of Israel," Eisenkot added, in an apparent reference to Bennett becoming prime minister after winning six Knesset seats.