Opposition in talks with UTJ after Liberman drops veto on haredi parties

Avigdor Liberman has dropped his veto on forming a government with haredi parties, enabling opposition talks with United Torah Judaism, according to an N12 report on Thursday. The bloc is reportedly considering a more lenient military conscription law. UTJ declined to recommend a prime minister candidate to President Isaac Herzog, citing tensions with Benjamin Netanyahu, a move that benefits the opposition. Liberman has long opposed joining a government with Netanyahu or Arab parties. Yisrael Beytenu denied the report, stating nothing has changed since Liberman’s Monday briefing, where he ruled out a unity government with Netanyahu but showed openness to haredi parties if they accepted his principles on conscription.