Israeli "Change Bloc" Leaders Agree to Negotiate with Haredi Parties

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.