A leading member of the Communist Party of Israel (CPI), MK Dov Khenin, says that the proposed appointment of the far-right and racist Avigdor Liberman as minister of defense “is a direct continuation of Netanyahu’s rightward shift during the past year.” Hadash MK Khenin (Joint List), also accuses the prime minister of attempting to “outflank [far-right HaBayit HaYehudi (“The Jewish Home”) lawmakers] Bennett and Smotritch from the right.”

In a Facebook post transmitted today, Thursday May 19, Khenin wrote that both right-wing politicians, Netanyahu and Liberman, “are united in their pursuit of an extremist and racist agenda, of running roughshod over political opponents, of incitement, of perpetuating the cycle of violence and war, and of continuing the selling off of our present and future to capitalist tycoons.” Khenin called for a “real, fighting opposition… one that will not sell out its values for a seat in the government.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Liberman decided on Wednesday, May 18, to form negotiation teams in an effort to orchestrate the entry of the Liberman’s party, Israel Beiteinu (“Israel Is Our Home”) into the present government. The two met on Wednesday afternoon, after Netanyahu “urged” the racist Liberman, to meet with him to discuss his party’s entry into the government’s coalition. Liberman’s demands include passing legislation that will impose the death penalty on “terrorists” (i.e., Palestinians) and granting him the position of defense minister, currently held by Moshe Ya’alon (Likud), a former IDF chief of staff. Shortly after Netanyahu and Liberman’s meeting, Israeli media outlets reported that the prime minister did, in fact, offer Lieberman the defense portfolio.

The move comes after a week of reported contacts between Netanyahu and the head of Labor Party and the Zionist Union bloc, MK Isaac Herzog, about the possibility of the latter’s entrance into the far-right government. Herzog, who was severely criticized by members of his party for negotiating to join Netanyahu’s right-wing government, said earlier on Wednesday that he is “suspending” talks with Netanyahu as long as negotiations between the Likud and Israel Beiteinu are underway.

In a zigzag from earlier statements, Herzog alleges that he had actually put an end to his discussions with Netanyahu on Tuesday night, before the PM invited Liberman to meet earlier Wednesday. Herzog railed against what he called the “Galon-Yachimovich alliance,” referring to Meretz chair Zahava Galon who, he claimed, was attempting to convince Labor Party MK Shelly Yachimovich to pull the Zionist Union party “to the far-left.”

“We are a center-left party and not an extreme left party,” said Herzog. Zionist Union MK Stav Shaffir earlier wrote on Facebook that Herzog’s efforts to take Zionist Union into a unity government led by Netanyahu were self-serving and “unforgivable,” while colleague MK Mickey Rosenthal also demanded Herzog’s resignation, saying that the party leader has lost the trust of the voters. “The party will not be able to recover if you do not hand over the keys. You have lost the confidence of the electorate,” wrote Rosenthal on Twitter.