Beliak Urges Coalition Compromises While Keeping Haredi Conscription a Priority

Outgoing Together lawmaker Vladimir Beliak urged the parties seeking to replace Benjamin Netanyahu to compromise in government-formation talks while retaining Haredi conscription and participation in employment as priorities. In a Tuesday morning radio interview with Gadi Ness, he also called for the bloc to begin using its parliamentary majority before negotiations on a government are complete. Beliak said the bloc should elect a new Knesset speaker, establish committees and start advancing legislation. “We must not reach a situation where we go to another election,” Beliak said, arguing that the distribution of seats required compromises. He presented the choice as securing the whole of the bloc's promised agenda for those who serve, achieving 70 to 80 percent of it, or obtaining nothing by returning to an election. Beliak expressed confidence in Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, citing their experience in forming governments under difficult conditions. He called for Netanyahu to leave office and for a new government to be established. Beliak said he did not expect Arab parties to join a future coalition, while urging attention to Arab citizens' needs in education and infrastructure. Reflecting on his own departure, he said he had finished his Knesset role the previous day and wished incoming colleagues success. He said he had continued working until the end, including on the Central Elections Committee and parliamentary arrangements.