Israeli "Change Bloc" Leaders Agree to Negotiate with Haredi Parties
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Leaders of Israel's "Change Bloc" parties met and agreed to pursue coalition talks with Haredi parties, while differing on cooperation with Arab parties. They will jointly recommend Gadi Eisenkot to President Yitzhak Herzog to form the government. The bloc also aims to replace the current Knesset Speaker and secure a parliamentary majority quickly.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Change Bloc leaders agreed to negotiate with Haredi parties and recommend Gadi Eisenkot for government formation.
- Disagreements persist within the bloc regarding potential cooperation with Arab political parties.
- Avigdor Lieberman opposes a minority government or one reliant on Arab parties and rejects Netanyahu's leadership.
- Yair Golan met with Joint List leaders to discuss possible political cooperation.
- The bloc aims to replace the current Knesset Speaker, Amir Ohana, but a successor is undecided.
- The parties will work to establish coalition principles and secure a parliamentary majority.
Leaders of Israel's "Change Bloc" parties convened for their first meeting since the elections on Tuesday in Herzliya. The hour-long gathering included Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, Yair Golan, and Yair Lapid. They agreed to attempt to open coalition negotiations with the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, preferring to form a government without Arab parties.
However, disagreements emerged regarding potential cooperation with Arab parties. Yair Golan insisted on keeping the door open for collaboration with them, while Avigdor Lieberman explicitly opposed forming a minority government or one reliant on Ra'am and the Joint List. Lieberman also ruled out joining a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and stressed the need to avoid further elections. Prior to the bloc meeting, Golan had met with senior members of the Joint List, Ahmad Tibi and Yosef Jabareen, to discuss political cooperation.
Another point of contention was the position of Knesset Speaker. Eisenkot demanded the role for a representative from his party, while Lieberman and Bennett supported appointing Yair Lapid. The meeting concluded without a resolution on this matter.
Despite the differences, the bloc leaders agreed to jointly recommend to President Yitzhak Herzog that Eisenkot be tasked with forming the next government. In a joint statement, they announced that negotiation teams would immediately begin working on coalition principles and agreements, aiming to secure a parliamentary majority early in the 26th Knesset's term. They also agreed to work towards replacing the current Knesset Speaker, Amir Ohana, though his successor has not yet been decided. Naftali Bennett stated that his party would support Eisenkot in forming a government as quickly as possible.
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