February 19, 2009 Lilach Weissman,  Globes

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman recommends that Likud chairman MK Benjamin Netanyahu form the next government, but only as part of a national unity government comprising of Kadima, Likud, and Yisrael Beiteinu.

Lieberman told President Shimon Peres, "The situation demands a national unity government in view of the challenges, the economic situation, and the threats from Iran and Gaza. Everything demands the establishment of a broad government. Each of us will have to rise above their petty considerations."

Lieberman added that he was not referring to a narrow government. "In terms of ability to lead measures, a government of the three large parties is needed. A Right-wing government would be a government of survival, which would not be able to lead the necessary measures. Don’t establish at first a narrow government only a broad one. We want Netanyahu and [Kadima chairwoman Tzipi] Livni together. They must build together from the ground up, and formulate guidelines for an agreement on principles. Bibi (Netanyahu) must get used to a broad government, rather than a narrow one, and Tzipi must get used to that the fact that there won't be a rotation. I oppose rotation; it carries an element of instability, and the previous rotation experiment was a failure." He was referring to the rotation agreement between Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres after the Likud and Labor Parties tied in the 1984 elections.