Israel Opposition Leaders Back Eisenkot to Replace Netanyahu

Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90 via Times of Israel (Yair Golan leaves the opposition chiefs meeting in Herzliya, 3 November)

Israel's opposition leaders have agreed to back former military chief Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister and move fast to replace Benjamin Netanyahu. The five party heads met in Herzliya on Tuesday, in their first joint meeting since last week's election left no bloc with a majority.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the leaders said they were fully coordinated and would act at once to replace what they called the October 7 government with a national emergency government. Al Jazeera reported that all their parties will recommend Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, to President Isaac Herzog, and that negotiating teams will start drafting coalition agreements and policy guidelines right away.

The meeting brought together Eisenkot, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan of the Democrats, and Yair Lapid, who heads Yesh Atid. Bennett told reporters there was no time to waste. "We need to act with great urgency," he said.

The leaders also agreed on four principles for the next government, set out by Eisenkot: recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, commitment to the values of the Declaration of Independence, mandatory service for all, and recognition of Hamas as a terrorist group whose military power must be dismantled and whose rule in Gaza must end.

The numbers are what make this hard. The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats in the 120 seat Knesset in the 27 October election, the Jewish opposition parties won 48, and Arab led parties won 19. A majority needs 61 seats, so the opposition can only get there with Arab support, which most of its leaders have ruled out as coalition partners.

That split was on full display on Tuesday. Golan, who met Arab party leaders before the main talks, is the only opposition leader openly backing cooperation with them, saying it is wrong to exclude them. Liberman has firmly opposed a minority government that relies on Arab support, and he also ruled out sitting with Netanyahu or ultra-Orthodox parties, though he softened that line slightly on Monday.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, called on Monday for a broad national government under his own leadership, pointing out that his Likud party, with 27 seats, is still the largest. No opposition leader has shown interest in joining him. On Tuesday his Likud party hit back, calling the opposition plan a dangerous government that would rely on supporters of terrorism, a charge the opposition rejects.

The next steps come quickly. Herzog begins consultations with the parties on Wednesday and Thursday, and the new Knesset is sworn in next week. The opposition leaders also discussed replacing Likud's Amir Ohana as Knesset speaker, with Lapid backed for the post by some, though a final decision was put off to Monday.

What happens in Israel matters far beyond its borders, from the Gaza ceasefire, where Israeli strikes killed four people this week, to Washington, where Trump said US aid to Israel will stop after this year, and to the wider region, where explosions hit Iran's Qeshm Island. A new government in Jerusalem, or another election, would change all three stories.

Sources

Al Jazeera: Israel's opposition leaders back Eisenkot to oust Netanyahu

Times of Israel: Opposition chiefs meet, agree to launch coalition talks, but path remains unclear

Haaretz: Israeli opposition leaders vow to swiftly oust Netanyahu, back Eisenkot for PM

Watch Herzog's consultations on Wednesday and Thursday, and the Knesset speaker decision expected by Monday.

#Israel #Netanyahu #Eisenkot #MiddleEast #Politics #BreakingNews #WorldNews #Election