Haredi parties welcome in Eisenkot-led gov't if they accept four principles, Yashar's Meridor says

ByLIAT RON, 103FMNOVEMBER 12, 2026 14:07Updated: NOVEMBER 12, 2026 14:10

Haredi parties and other factions will be welcome to join a new national emergency government if they agree to four fundamental principles, Yashar MK Shaul Meridor told Liat Ron in a Wednesday interview with 103FM, as negotiations to form a new coalition continued following the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset.

Meridor, a former Finance Ministry budget director who has entered the Knesset as a member of Yashar, spoke about his transition into politics, the efforts to replace the current government, and the changes he believes Israelis can expect from the new parliamentary majority.

Asked about his decision to enter politics, Meridor said, "I can't say I didn't know what I was getting into, because I saw things up close. But there are prices to pay as a public figure and an elected official. The tasks ahead of us are so consequential, and our need to change direction in the face of hatred in Israel and in relation to the Zionist vision demands a great deal from us. I thought it was right to leave high-tech, even though I enjoyed working at the company I was with. But I think what we need most of all now is to start fixing the country."

"We are busy forming a government these days. That is the most important thing, and we need to do it as quickly as possible. We need to replace this government, which currently has the confidence of just over 40 MKs, while the overwhelming majority of the Knesset does not have confidence in it," Meridor said.

"We haven't replaced the government yet because we need to form a new one in order to replace the old one. Once we do that, we have many tasks ahead of us. First, The need to establish a state commission of inquiry to understand what happened here so we don't repeat the mistakes that were made. In addition, we need to begin addressing many issues, such as the cost of living and the conditions of those who serve. We are celebrating now, and in the evening we will continue negotiations."

Meridor says Yashar will not compromise on four coalition principles

Addressing the coalition talks, Meridor said, "We are in the midst of negotiations, and I understand your need as journalists to know what is happening, but you also understand our need to conduct them in a serious and substantive manner. We have four principles that we will not deviate from. They are clear and understood by everyone."

"We invite every faction in the Knesset to join the government on the basis of those principles so that we can implement them. We received a mandate from the public, we want to fulfill it, and I hope we will do so in the best possible way," he added.

Regarding the appointment of Liran Avishar Ben-Horin as chairwoman of the Knesset Finance Committee, Meridor said, "I know Liran, I respect her, and I wish her great success. But regarding her appointment, we are operating within a political system in which the Beyachad faction received the Finance Committee, and Liran is a very worthy choice."

The discussion then turned to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the expected appointment of Avigdor Liberman as its chairman.

"MK Liberman has served as defense minister, and he is a serious person," Meridor said. "The current government no longer has a mandate from the public, and it does not have the confidence of the Knesset, so it needs to be supervised. It is good that Liberman will temporarily chair the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to oversee it. We will form a government, it will have governing principles, and we will act according to them. Right now, what matters is not who heads the temporary committees, but first establishing them and overseeing the government."

Meridor calls for swift legislative action by new Knesset majority

Discussing the first steps the new parliamentary majority intends to take, Meridor said, "Ultimately, we have set clear goals. We have legislation that needs to be discussed, and in terms of timing, we need to discuss it quickly."

"In addition, the High Court of Justice has ruled that a state comptroller must be appointed as quickly as possible. We have many tasks ahead of us. This is a temporary Knesset, so there are limitations on what can and cannot be done. Israeli citizens will begin to feel the change from the day Matan Kahana is sworn in as Knesset speaker," he said.

Meridor stressed the urgency of establishing a new coalition and reiterated that his party was open to negotiations with additional factions, including the haredi parties.

"We have a very important mission. We need to form a national emergency government quickly. We are looking at the parliamentary majority in the Knesset that told this government to go. It consists of 67 MKs, and we will try to bring additional parties into the coalition, including haredi parties and others," he said.

"The Yashar party has never asked about a person's background, but rather which principles they agree with. Any party and any MK who agrees to the four principles, recognition of the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic, recognition of the values of the Declaration of Independence as the state's fundamental values, universal service, and recognition that Hamas is a terrorist organization that must be dismantled, is welcome to negotiate with us about joining the coalition."

Meridor reflects on family legacy as third-generation Knesset member

Earlier in the interview, Meridor also reflected on becoming the third member of his family to serve in the Knesset.

"My grandfather and then my father were MKs. My grandfather served in the fourth, fifth, and sixth Knessets, and I never had the chance to be there with him. When I was a child, I actually wanted to be a pediatrician, but I ended up in economics. After October 7, after everything we went through, I thought the right thing to do was to take what I know and what I have learned from public service and the private sector, and come to fix things and bring about change."

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