TEL AVIV — Yisrael Beyteinu leader Avigdor Liberman said on Friday that he is willing to be “flexible” and compromise on the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) military draft law in order to form a government led by Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot — dropping, in one X post, both his long-standing refusal to sit with the ultra-Orthodox parties and one of his own central campaign demands. “On all other issues, it is permissible and desirable to be flexible and compromise and understand that if you try to catch many, you catch none. This includes the issue of the draft law,” Liberman wrote.

Source: ANI via NewKerala, Nov 6 2026 — Liberman willing to compromise on haredi draft law for Eisenkot-led government

The post is a genuine new development in the government-formation talks this desk reported on Thursday, when President Isaac Herzog's consultations ended with Eisenkot recommended by factions totalling 67 lawmakers against 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Liberman's 67 includes the two Arab-majority lists — Ra'am, with eight seats, and the Joint List, with 11 — and his post was aimed squarely at that arithmetic: he said he strongly opposes a government that relies on the Joint List and Ra'am, that Yisrael Beyteinu would vote against such a government, and that every effort must instead be made to form a coalition of 61 Knesset members without them.

Source: ANI via NewKerala, Nov 6 2026 — Liberman willing to compromise on haredi draft law for Eisenkot-led government

How Eisenkot reached 67 recommendations against Netanyahu's 46 was reported by this desk on Thursday. Read: Eisenkot wins 67 recommendations to Netanyahu's 46 as Herzog consultations end

Three red lines, and no rotation

Liberman set out what he called clear red lines for his party: Netanyahu's premiership must end; Israel must not be dragged into another election; and no government may rest on Arab-party support. He also ruled out any rotational premiership with Eisenkot, saying the rotation mechanism damages the proper management of the state and should be consigned to oblivion. The shift follows Channel 12 reporting on Thursday evening that Liberman had already lifted his veto on the ultra-Orthodox parties and that the change bloc was discussing a more lenient conscription law, reportedly based on Liberman's own 2018 draft bill.

Source: Times of Israel via EuropeSays, Nov 6 2026 — Liberman issues coalition conditions, UTJ chairman Yakov Asher responds

The ultra-Orthodox response was quick — and warm. “It is heartening to see the flexibility displayed by all political players regarding the issue of military conscription,” United Torah Judaism chairman Yakov Asher said in response to Liberman's announcement. A source in UTJ told the Walla news site that the announcement was not particularly shocking, and JFeed reported a UTJ source going further: the party is seriously considering joining a government led by the change bloc if an agreed draft law can be reached — “If they give us a draft law we'll go with them. Absolutely.” Those are party-source accounts reported by Israeli outlets, not a UTJ decision, and no agreement has been announced.

Source: JFeed, Nov 6 2026 — Netanyahu scrambles after Liberman offers draft compromise; UTJ source via Walla

Eisenkot holds his own line

That last point is the tension at the centre of the talks. Eisenkot, whose bloc campaigned on ending the ultra-Orthodox exemption from service, reaffirmed on Friday his firm requirement that all Israelis undergo mandatory military or civilian service, while saying coalition negotiations had reached significant milestones and that he was willing to invite any faction prepared to join on his governance terms, Policy-Wire reported on Saturday. Ten days ago Liberman's own election-morning formulation was “100% for those who serve, 0% for draft dodgers” — the distance between that slogan and Friday's flexibility is exactly what the ultra-Orthodox parties are now pricing, and what Eisenkot's own voters will judge.

Source: Policy-Wire, Nov 7 2026 — Eisenkot defends mandatory service as Liberman signals shift on ultra-Orthodox coalition

What happens next: Herzog is expected to hand the mandate to form a government to one candidate — traditionally the one with more recommendations, which is Eisenkot — and whoever receives it will have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to assemble 61 seats. The new Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10. If Liberman's opening turns into a draft-law agreement with UTJ, Eisenkot can reach 61 without the Arab lists; if it collapses, the 67-recommendation majority exists only on paper, because Liberman has now said in public that he will vote against the government it would produce.