Moments after he ended his press conference at the Knesset Nov. 20, in which he railed against the ultra-Orthodox parties, Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman strode from the faction’s room to his office, smiling ear to ear. “So, are all the ultra-Orthodox already uniting against me?” he asked me defiantly. This statement points to the change in his strategic political direction in the last year. After he chose to go all the way on the issue of religion and state that was the cause for the April election, and prevented the formation of a right-ultra-Orthodox government after that election as well as after the September election, Liberman continues to harden his tone toward the ultra-Orthodox.
His press conference angered many, when he tied the ultra-Orthodox parties (Shas and Yahadut HaTorah) with the Joint List, which represents Israeli Arabs. "This is an anti-Zionist coalition that plays between the two blocs,” he said. “We should say it as it is — the Joint List is really a fifth column. But unfortunately, the Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] parties are also becoming more and more anti-Zionist.”