Israeli Political Rivals Gadi Eisenkot and Avigdor Lieberman Mend Fences Ahead of Election

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar!" party, and Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of "Yisrael Beiteinu," met Tuesday to resolve recent public disagreements, according to Kan News. The "reconciliation" meeting aimed to coordinate campaign efforts in the final stretch before the election, while setting aside their dispute over leadership of their political bloc, a matter still unresolved.

The parties intend to downplay their differences, recognizing that internal conflict harms the bloc's prospects. The meeting was prompted, in part, by Eisenkot's recent criticism of Lieberman and Naftali Bennett in a Kan Reshet Bet interview. Eisenkot had stated that both politicians were mistaken in their approach to the bloc, arguing that he had worked tirelessly to organize it more effectively than in previous elections.

Eisenkot criticized the "old politics" of deciding leadership after the election, emphasizing the need for clear principles and public decision-making to choose a prime ministerial candidate. He warned against relying on a coalition of only eight mandates, stating it showed a misunderstanding of the current political landscape and urged them to reconsider. He also called for disqualifying the head of the Balad party from the Knesset, and the Attorney General supports Eisenkot's demand to remove an AI video published by the Religious Zionism party.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid announced he would convene a meeting of "Change Bloc" party leaders at his home on Saturday evening, the first such gathering in over ten months. Sources close to Bennett and Lieberman have not yet decided whether they will agree to a joint photo that includes Yair Golan, a step they avoided in previous meetings.