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Leaders of five Israeli opposition parties have agreed to coordinate their campaign ahead of next month’s election, seeking to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and form a new government, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
The leaders of what the broadcaster called the “change bloc” met Saturday at the Tel Aviv home of opposition leader Yair Lapid, about a month before the Oct. 27 Knesset elections.
The meeting was attended by Lapid, leader of Yesh Atid; Gadi Eisenkot, head of Yashar; Naftali Bennett, leader of Beyachad; Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu; and Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats.
Opposition parties agree on joint election strategy
The parties discussed coordinating their election campaigns, attracting additional voters and improving their chances of winning a parliamentary majority, Channel 12 reported.
After the meeting, the five leaders released a joint photograph and a document setting out principles for cooperation before and after the election.
Under the agreement, each party leader will work within their own constituency to increase voter turnout and attract support from different sections of society. The stated goal is to secure a majority and establish a new government.
“From today until the formation of the government, none of us, nor anyone acting on our behalf, will attack a partner party in the bloc or its leader,” the leaders said in the document.
They also pledged to work together immediately after the election to form the next government.
Three joint working groups to be established
The agreement calls for three joint working groups to be established within 48 hours.
The first group will focus on increasing voter turnout, election-day preparations and what the parties described as protecting the integrity of the election.
A second group will prepare the basic guidelines for the proposed government. Its agenda will include “equality in sharing the burden,” the creation of an official commission of inquiry into the events of Oct. 7, 2023, limits on the prime minister’s term, drafting a new constitution and a plan for the government’s first 100 days.
The third group will coordinate media activity and organize joint responses to what the document called “fake news and smear campaigns.”
Dispute over choice of prime ministerial candidate
The meeting followed disagreements among opposition leaders, particularly Eisenkot, Bennett and Lieberman, over how to choose a unified candidate for prime minister.
Eisenkot had criticized Bennett and Lieberman for not establishing clear rules for selecting the bloc’s candidate, saying the uncertainty was damaging the opposition’s electoral prospects.
Lieberman, meanwhile, urged the parties to focus on the bloc’s overall election result instead of debating who should rank first or second among the candidates for prime minister.
Israel is scheduled to hold its general election on Oct. 27. Recent opinion polls have shown Netanyahu’s bloc trailing the opposition camp.
Netanyahu has led the current government since late December 2022. It has been described as the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.
He is standing trial on corruption charges, which he denies. The International Criminal Court has also issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Critics in Israel and abroad accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the country’s military conflicts to repeatedly delay a possible conviction in his corruption trial.
