Israeli Opposition Leaders Agree to Unite Bloc Strategy

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the National Unity Party, and Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, held a private meeting on Tuesday, September 22, to coordinate their "change bloc" strategy. Both politicians are part of the camp opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The leaders agreed that the "change bloc" should be the primary focus of their election campaign, rather than individual parties vying to be the largest. Sources close to the discussion stated that the consensus was "the bloc is paramount."

During the meeting, Lieberman urged Eisenkot to take broader responsibility for the political camp, not just his own party. He emphasized that leaders of the "change bloc" parties must conduct a joint campaign focused on expanding the bloc to overcome the political deadlock and achieve a decisive election outcome. Lieberman argued that discussions about who will be prime minister or which party will be largest benefit Netanyahu's campaign.

While it remains unclear if Eisenkot will reduce his party's focus on becoming the largest, he did agree that strengthening the entire bloc is the immediate priority. The goal is to unite the leaders of the bloc's four parties, National Unity, Yisrael Beiteinu, Hahol Lavan, and Meretz, before a planned meeting with Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan at opposition leader Yair Lapid's home this Saturday evening.

Lieberman and Eisenkot also agreed to cease mutual attacks, believing internal conflicts harm the bloc's chances of gaining more Knesset seats. Following their meeting, National Unity and Yisrael Beiteinu issued a joint statement affirming their commitment to continued cooperation and necessary steps, in coordination with other bloc parties, to achieve victory and change the government that was in power during the "October 7 massacre."