Israeli Opposition Holds First Meeting to Oust Netanyahu, but Divided Over Alliance with Arab Parties

An Israeli opposition coalition led by former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot has met for the first time since the general election to discuss forming a coalition government to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to local media on November 3 (local time), opposition leaders including Eisenkot, head of the Yashar Party; Naftali Bennett of BeYahad; Yair Lapid; Avigdor Lieberman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party; and Yair Golan of the Democrats gathered for the first time since the election in Herzliya, where Eisenkot resides.

The opposition party leaders expressed full support for forming a coalition government led by Eisenkot, immediately launching coalition negotiations, and agreed to coordinate parliamentary strategy ahead of the opening of the Knesset.

In a joint statement, the opposition leaders vowed to act swiftly to replace Prime Minister Netanyahu's government based on four principles presented by Eisenkot.

The four principles presented by Eisenkot are: recognizing Israel as a Jewish democratic state, safeguarding the values of the Declaration of Independence, making military service mandatory for all citizens, and designating Hamas as a terrorist organization while committing to dismantling its military capabilities and ending its rule in the Gaza Strip.

However, with most Jewish opposition parties excluding Arab parties from the coalition partnership, they failed to present a clear solution on how to form a government without Arab parties.

No agreement was reached on a candidate for the next speaker of parliament.

Channel 12 reported that they discussed pushing forward former Prime Minister Lapid, the number two figure in the BeYahad Party, as the speaker candidate, but decided to postpone the final decision until November 8.

Immediately following the meeting, former Prime Minister Bennett confirmed that his BeYahad Party fully supports Eisenkot's efforts to form a coalition government.

Bennett urged members of the opposition coalition to swiftly replace current Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who belongs to the Likud Party, and secure the mandate to form a "Zionist government for national reconstruction" to achieve a revolution.

Before the meeting, former Prime Minister Lapid also emphasized, "The past few days serve as another reminder that Netanyahu and his associates must be kicked out of the Prime Minister's Office," adding, "What we need to do now is quickly form a government."

No faction secured a majority (61 or more seats) in this general election.

The opposition coalition led by Eisenkot secured 48 seats out of the 120-seat Knesset, while the Netanyahu camp managed to secure a total of 53 seats, including 27 seats from the Likud Party.

Powered by high voter turnout, Arab parties surged by securing 19 seats, emerging as a powerful casting vote force.

Netanyahu's camp has repeatedly claimed that those Arab parties committed illegal acts such as electoral fraud.

If Arab parties join the opposition coalition, Eisenkot's camp can secure a majority of seats.

However, divisions persist within the opposition regarding whether to ally with them.

Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party included in the opposition coalition, left a message that a coalition could be formed while excluding Arab parties, arguing that another election must be avoided.

Meanwhile, Golan, head of the Democrats, met for the first time prior to the opposition meeting with Joint List leadership Yousef Jabarin and Ahmad Tibi.

The Democrats stated in a release, "The three individuals focused their discussions on follow-up measures and coordination among political factions necessary to utilize a parliamentary majority to replace the Netanyahu government."

They also added, "We exchanged views on the necessity of promoting major issues affecting Arab citizens and practical solutions, and agreed that both sides will continue coordination ahead of future political moves aimed at forming a so-called 'government of change.'"

(Photo: Provided by BeYahad Israel, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.