Netanyahu’s Survival Is in the Hands of a Fickle Former Friend
- Liberman’s bashing of ultra-Orthodox has drawn more support
- Yisrael Beitenu poised to be kingmaker after Sept. 17 election
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Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival may depend on the support of a one-time ally who’s turned on him.
Avigdor Liberman, the blunt-talking hardliner who was instrumental in Netanyahu’s rise to power in 1996, is shaping up to be the kingmaker of Israel’s Sept. 17 election, and that’s reason for the premier to worry. In May, Liberman blindsided Netanyahu by refusing to join his coalition in a tussle over military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The prime minister’s political hand doesn’t seem to have strengthened since.