Israeli 'Change Bloc' Leaders Agree to Seek Premiership First

The meeting included Gadi Eisenkot of the National Unity Party, Naftali Bennett of the New Right, Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, and Yair Golan of the Democratic Party. The leaders committed to forming a Zionist government based on four core principles proposed by Eisenkot, which include recognizing Israel as a Jewish, democratic, and liberal state, upholding the Declaration of Independence, instituting mandatory national service for all citizens, and destroying the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza.

Despite their shared goals, disagreements persist within the bloc. While they agreed to replace current Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Bennett and Lieberman did not agree to Eisenkot's proposal to appoint Lapid to the position. Furthermore, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has conditioned any potential unity government on Ohana remaining speaker. The bloc confirmed its final decision not to cooperate with Arab parties, with Golan being the sole proponent of their inclusion, while the Democratic Party declared it would refuse to join any unity government that includes Netanyahu.