Questions are mounting within Eisenkot's bloc over Naftali Bennett's position on efforts to form a government with the haredi parties, as Gadi Eisenkot and Avigdor Liberman remain divided over the proposed coalition framework and the compromises required on military conscription, according to political sources in the bloc on Friday.
Negotiations to establish an Eisenkot bloc government continue to expose disagreements among the potential coalition partners, with questions now emerging about Bennett's position. While Eisenkot and Liberman are working to bring the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties into the coalition, members of the bloc are questioning whether Bennett will support the emerging framework, particularly the agreements that will be required on the issue of military conscription.
There is no consensus within the Eisenkot bloc on how to bring the haredi parties into the government. Eisenkot and Liberman are ultimately seeking the same coalition but disagree over the timing and the possibility of securing Shas's agreement at this stage.
Eisenkot believes that waiting for Shas chairman Arye Deri could delay the formation of the government and therefore wants to proceed in stages. Liberman, by contrast, believes an agreement can be reached with both haredi parties from the outset and prefers not to rely on Shas joining the coalition at a later stage.
Bennett avoids taking a position on haredi draft concessions
Eisenkot's other partners in the bloc have not expressed a clear position on the matter. The bloc's leaders stress that they "support Eisenkot and trust him," but are not currently involved in managing negotiations with the haredi parties.
Alongside the disagreement between Eisenkot and Liberman, however, questions are also being raised within the bloc about Bennett's conduct. At this stage, his position on the framework Eisenkot is promoting remains unclear, particularly regarding possible compromises with the haredi parties over military conscription.
"Naftali has lowered his profile and imposed silence on himself regarding the contentious issues and negotiations with the haredi parties. While Liberman is absorbing most of the criticism for lifting his veto on the haredi parties, and Eisenkot is being attacked for his willingness to bring them into the government, Bennett is avoiding addressing the issue," a source in the Eisenkot bloc said.
According to the source, the contrast between Bennett's silence on the haredi issue and the messages he continues to deliver about military service has raised questions among his potential coalition partners.
"On the other hand, he continues to talk incessantly about looking after those who serve, as though the election campaign were still underway. The gap between his silence on the haredi issue and his statements about those who serve is raising questions among members of the Eisenkot bloc. It is unclear where he is headed," the source added.
Indeed, in a post published on his Facebook account, Bennett emphasized his commitment to the issue of equality in military service and wrote: "Redirecting funds from draft dodgers to those who serve is at the forefront of our agenda in the coming term."
Bloc fears Bennett may prefer another election
The suspicions surrounding Bennett are not new. At the opening of the Knesset session, his faction did not hold a faction meeting open to the media, instead issuing a brief statement without allowing journalists to ask questions.
Bennett himself has continued to maintain a low media profile, even as negotiations to form the government move forward.
Discussions among figures in the Eisenkot bloc have raised suspicions that Bennett is not necessarily committed to forming a government under the current framework and that he may believe another election could strengthen his political standing.
These are assessments by figures within the bloc, rather than a position Bennett has expressed publicly.
According to those sources, maintaining his principles on equality in military service and continuing to deliver messages opposing draft evasion, both of which were central to his election campaign, could also benefit him in the event of another election.
In the background, members of Bennett's electoral list have also made statements regarding their willingness to advance a military conscription law as part of agreements with the haredi parties.
In closed discussions within the bloc, concerns have emerged that not all potential partners share the same vision of how the government should be formed or the compromises that will be necessary to achieve that goal.
Thus, while Eisenkot is attempting to reach agreements with the haredi parties and Liberman is presenting his conditions, Bennett's position remains an open question.
Members of the Eisenkot bloc want to understand whether Bennett will ultimately support a framework