Israeli Opposition Leaders Meet, Excluding Benny Gantz

Leaders of Israel's "Change Bloc" (formerly "Only Not Bibi") convened Saturday evening at the Tel Aviv home of opposition leader Yair Lapid for their first joint meeting of the current election cycle. The gathering included Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman, Yair Golan, and Yair Lapid. A key objective of the meeting was to present a unified front for the upcoming elections, with a joint photograph expected to be released.

Despite the show of unity, significant disagreements persist among the bloc's leaders regarding who will lead the bloc and its future structure. Gadi Eisenkot, whose party is leading in recent polls, is expected to demand official recognition as the bloc's leader. Naftali Bennett, however, is likely to advocate for focusing on strengthening the parties' individual power and continuing their cooperation without immediately deciding on a leader. Avigdor Lieberman is expected to propose a three-leader model, allowing the main parties to work together without an immediate decision on a single candidate.

Adding to the internal tensions, Gadi Eisenkot stated in a television interview that the Ra'am party would not be part of the next government, and if his party becomes the largest, he would recommend himself for prime minister. The Likud party criticized Eisenkot's statement, claiming he cannot form a government without other opposition parties and Arab parties.

Notably absent from the meeting was Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity party. In response to not being invited, Gantz's party placed a truck outside Lapid's home with a message stating, "The blocs are stalling Israel." This tactic mirrors a previous strategy employed by Gadi Eisenkot during the Likud's election campaigns.