Opposition Leaders Meet to Coordinate Strategy Ahead of Elections

Leaders of Israel's "change bloc" opposition factions convened Saturday evening at the Tel Aviv home of opposition leader Yair Lapid, marking their first meeting in months. The gathering included Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, with the stated purpose of coordinating the bloc's moves and boosting its electoral prospects. The meeting is not expected to result in a decision on who will lead the bloc.

Yair Golan is reportedly set to propose joint initiatives such as dividing work and voter segments, coordinated election day preparations, establishing teams for government formation and the first 100 days in office, and holding regular joint events, particularly focusing on the aftermath of October 7th. Outside the meeting, a truck sponsored by Benny Gantz's National Unity party displayed a banner criticizing the bloc for "stalling Israel," while protesters called for either a "Haganah government or a Jewish-Arab partnership."

Gadi Eisenkot, who had pushed for the resumption of these meetings following the Bennett-Lapid union, stated that the "essence of the meeting is how to win the elections." He contrasted the current situation with a potential right-wing government, envisioning Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir as designated defense minister, and Tali Gottlieb as justice minister to focus the opposition's efforts.

The meeting follows a sharp exchange between bloc leaders about a week and a half prior. Eisenkot had criticized Bennett and Lieberman for not establishing clear criteria for selecting a joint prime ministerial candidate, arguing it harmed the bloc's chances. He also critiqued the previous change bloc government, where Bennett served as prime minister with only six mandates, suggesting Lapid, who led with 17 mandates, should have held the position.

Avigdor Lieberman had previously expressed a desire for unity, stating, "I don't want it to be like the last election, where Lapid was the sole opposition candidate, achieved 24 mandates for Yesh Atid, and since then we have been eating dust and bitterness. We need to stop talking in terms of he's first, he's second." Yisrael Beiteinu added that Eisenkot should clarify his post-election partners. Yair Golan urged unity, writing, "Our only mission is to save the country together from the government of massacre, evasion, and abandonment. We must not attack each other. Musical chairs is not important, the country is."