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Israel's Opposition Leader and B'Yachad party's No. 2, Yair Lapid, on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to undermine the election results and called for his removal from office, as heads of Zionist opposition parties met in Herzliya to coordinate their next political moves ahead of consultations with President Isaac Herzog on forming the next government, as per the Times of Israel.
In a post on X, Lapid said, "We are now entering the meeting of the bloc leaders. We are facing a serious and dangerous attempt to undermine the election results--but we must form a government." https://x.com/yairlapid/status/2117554967083184629 "The conduct of the past few days is just another reminder that we need to remove Netanyahu from the Prime Minister's Office," he added. The meeting brought together Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot, BYachad leader Naftali Bennett and his party's number two Yair Lapid, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman and Democrats chairman Yair Golan, the Times of Israel reported. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reaffirmed his BYachad party's full support for Eisenkot's efforts to form a government following the meeting and urged opposition leaders to act quickly. "The entire BYachad party will mobilise all its efforts to help Gadi Eisenkot form a government as soon as possible," Bennett said, according to The Times of Israel. "We have no time to waste. We need to act with great urgency," he added. Bennett also called on members of the opposition bloc to swiftly replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana of Likud and secure the mandate to form a "Zionist government of national repair" that would bring about a "revolution for those who serve". In another political development, Democrats chairman Yair Golan met Joint List leaders Yousef Jabareen and Ahmad Tibi on Tuesday morning for the first time since last week's election, according to a statement from the Democrats party. The three leaders discussed "coordination between the factions and the steps needed to use their parliamentary majority to replace" Netanyahu's government, the party said. The discussions also covered "key issues affecting the Arab public and the need to advance practical solutions". "The sides agreed to continue coordinating ahead of the next political moves, with the aim of forming a 'change government'," the Democrats party said. Golan has openly backed cooperation with Arab parties to form a government and has said they could join a future coalition. He is the only leader in the four-party Jewish-led opposition bloc to publicly support that approach. However, other opposition bloc leaders have ruled out sitting with Arab parties. Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman has also rejected a minority government that relies on their support, according to The Times of Israel. Taking to social media platform X, Lieberman stated, "We must prevent additional elections. In the political situation that has emerged, there is sufficient room for manoeuvre, and with proper navigation, it is possible to swiftly establish a functioning and stable government without Ra'am and the Joint List." Adding to the post-election friction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday (local time) that he was open to forming a broad national government but ruled out an administration dependent on Arab-led parties. In a post on X, he declared that the Israeli public does not want a government relying on Ra'am and the Joint List, parties he accused of supporting terrorism and rejecting the existence of the Jewish state. Claiming a mandate from the Jewish public after his Likud party emerged as the largest, Netanyahu maintained that his hand had been extended from day one to form a broad government with natural partners and any party willing to join without supporting terrorism, prompting opposition parties to intensify their own efforts to forge an alternative. According to The Times of Israel, these opposition moves include Lieberman ruling out joining any coalition led by Netanyahu and announcing that his party would recommend Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog to form the next government, while also supporting Opposition Leader Yair Lapid for the post of Knesset Speaker. While candidly admitting that the broader opposition alliance fell short of expectations with 48 mandates and criticising Eisenkot's campaign as "egotistical", Lieberman's push aligns with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad faction, which has similarly backed Eisenkot's bid. This friction unfolds against an election outcome in which the broader opposition bloc secured 67 seats against 53 for the incumbent coalition in the 120-member Knesset, though the opposition still faces formidable challenges in forming a government without relying on Arab-led parties. As President Isaac Herzog urges political leaders to show flexibility and find solutions to prevent another election, he is scheduled to receive the official election results on November 4 before beginning consultations with representatives of political factions, ahead of the newly elected Knesset being sworn in on November 10. (ANI)
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