Israeli opposition party leaders have reached a consensus to support former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as their candidate for prime minister. The group aims to replace the current government led by Benjamin Netanyahu as swiftly as possible. This decision marks a significant step in the post-election political maneuvering, as the opposition seeks to form a stable coalition before the president begins his formal consultations.
The five party heads convened on Tuesday in Herzliya, a city located north of Tel Aviv. This gathering was their first joint meeting since the election held on October 27. The recent vote resulted in a hung parliament, leaving neither the ruling bloc nor the opposition with a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The timing of the meeting is critical, as it takes place one day before President Isaac Herzog starts discussing which party should attempt to form the next cabinet.
In a joint statement, the leaders confirmed that all their respective parties would recommend Eisenkot, who heads the Yashar party, to the president. They announced that negotiating teams would immediately begin working on policy guidelines and coalition agreements. The statement described the group as coordinated and ready to act, with a goal of replacing the current administration, which they referred to as the October 7 government, with a national emergency government.
The attendees included Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu, Yair Golan of the Democrats, and Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party. The group agreed to uphold four key principles outlined by Eisenkot. These conditions require all government parties to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and to designate Hamas as a terrorist group. These specific requirements could potentially exclude certain Arab-led parties from joining the coalition.
Bennett, whose party secured the third-highest number of seats, emphasized the urgency of the situation to reporters. He stated that the group did not have time and must act with great speed. Meanwhile, the broader political landscape remains complex. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, while the opposition captured 48. Arab-led parties hold 19 seats, with the Joint List taking 11 and Ra’am securing eight. A majority requires 61 seats, making the support of these smaller parties potentially decisive.
The opposition bloc remains divided regarding whether to ally with these Arab-led parties. Yousef Jabareen, the head of the largest Arab-led party in the next parliament, urged the opposition to accept political reality and join forces to remove Netanyahu. In contrast, Yair Golan is the only opposition leader openly supporting an alliance with Arab-led parties. He described the exclusion of these parties as racist and met with their leaders prior to the Tuesday talks. Golan promised to address high crime rates in Palestinian communities within Israel.
Following those meetings, both sides highlighted their shared interest in using a parliamentary majority to replace the current government of Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich. However, Avigdor Liberman has firmly opposed including Arab-led parties, although he also wants to avoid holding another election. The minority Arab population in Israel has long faced political marginalization, a situation that has intensified since the attacks on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.
Netanyahu, who is 76 years old and the country’s longest-serving prime minister, called on Monday for a broad national government under his leadership. He noted that his Likud party remains the largest single party with 27 seats. No opposition leader has expressed openness to joining his coalition. Netanyahu has ruled out a partnership with Arab-majority lists, claiming they support terrorism and deny the existence of the Jewish state. He is currently on trial for corruption charges and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The war in Gaza, which began in October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of more than 74,000 Palestinians. President Herzog is scheduled to hold consultations on Wednesday and Thursday. If Eisenkot can secure the backing of Arab lawmakers, he could receive the most recommendations to form the government.
