Opposition party leaders to hold first joint meeting since election on Tuesday

Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett (B’Yachad), Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), and Yair Golan (The Democrats), along with outgoing opposition leader Yair Lapid (B’Yachad), will meet on Tuesday morning for their first joint meeting since the elections, Yashar announced Monday.

During the briefing, Liberman ruled out joining a unity government with Netanyahu, along with the option of a minority government that would be reliant on support from the Arab parties.

However, his stance regarding joining a coalition with haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) – appeared to be more lenient. Ahead of the elections, he had drawn a red line to any partnership with them.

Now, Liberman said that whoever accepted his set of principles and a conscription law to draft the haredim, he would “have no problem with.”

He said he was in contact with members of Netanyahu’s Likud Knesset slate, suggesting that they could potentially join the opposition bloc when asked how a government could be formed without the Arab parties or a minority government.

Liberman also said he was firmly against another round of elections, calling it “a very bad option.”

When asked by the press if he was expecting to be prime minister, Liberman said he had no expectations and was working to form a government as soon as possible to avoid another round of elections.

He warned that a minority government would last less than a year and would result in Netanyahu returning to office with “70 seats.”

Until now, Eisenkot had called for the leader of the largest party in the opposition bloc to become its candidate for prime minister. However, no agreement on the arrangement was announced within the opposition bloc by Liberman until his Monday press briefing.

By law, the president is required to consult the Knesset factions before deciding who receives the task of forming a government.

Liberman had reportedly been avoiding the phone calls of other opposition party leaders last week; however, he met with Eisenkot on Saturday evening and Lapid.

The Yisrael Beytenu leader also said on Monday he had met with Golan, who has called for the opposition bloc to form a coalition with the Arab parties – a position Liberman has firmly rejected. Shortly after Liberman’s briefing, the Democrats announced that they would also recommend Eisenkot as their candidate to form the next government.

The opposition bloc lacks the required 61-seat Knesset majority with the support of the Arab parties. The election results showed that Netanyahu’s bloc maintained its lead, securing 53 seats in the next Knesset, while the opposition bloc won 48.

The political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election, although the parties may still reach an agreement through coalition negotiations. Other possible outcomes include a unity government among Netanyahu and members of Eisenkot’s bloc, or the formation of a minority government.

The Arab parties have expressed willingness to cooperate with the oppostion bloc to work toward replacing Netanyahu.

The heads of the Joint List and Ra’am held their first coordination meeting since the elections on Monday.

Ahmad Tibi, who holds the second slot on the Joint List's Knesset slate, stated that the purpose of the meeting was “to topple the Netanyahu, [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir, and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich government and replace it with a new government of change.”

Along with the 48 seats won by the opposition bloc, the Arab parties' 19 recommendations would give Eisenkot 67 in total, prompting Herzog to potentially grant him the mandate over Netanyahu. The president’s consultations with party representatives are expected to begin on Wednesday.

The opposition bloc lacks the required 61-seat Knesset majority without the support of the Arab parties. The election results showed that Netanyahu’s bloc maintained its lead, securing 53 seats in the next Knesset, while the opposition bloc won 48.

The political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election, although the parties may still reach an agreement through coalition negotiations. Other possible outcomes include a unity government between Netanyahu and members of Eisenkot’s bloc, or a minority government.

The Arab parties have expressed willingness to cooperate with the opposition bloc to replace Netanyahu.

The heads of the Joint List and Ra’am held their first coordination meeting since the elections on Monday.

Ahmad Tibi, who holds the second slot on the Joint List’s Knesset slate, said the meeting aimed “to topple the Netanyahu, [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir, and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich government and replace it with a new government of change.”

Along with the 48 seats won by the opposition bloc, the Arab parties’ 19 recommendations would give Eisenkot 67 in total, prompting Herzog to potentially grant him the mandate over Netanyahu. The president’s consultations with party representatives are expected to begin on Wednesday.

The opposition bloc lacks the required 61-seat Knesset majority without the support of the Arab parties. The election results showed that Netanyahu’s bloc maintained its lead, securing 53 seats in the next Knesset, while the opposition bloc won 48.

The political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election, although the parties may still reach an agreement through coalition negotiations. Other possible outcomes include a unity government between Netanyahu and members of Eisenkot’s bloc or a minority government.

The Arab parties have expressed willingness to cooperate with the opposition bloc to replace Netanyahu.

The heads of the Joint List and Ra’am held their first coordination meeting since the elections on Monday. Ahmad Tibi, who holds the second slot on the Joint List’s Knesset slate, said that the purpose of the meeting was “to topple the Netanyahu, [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir, and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich government and replace it with a new government of change.”

Along with the 48 seats won by the opposition bloc, the Arab parties’ 19 recommendations would give Eisenkot 67 in total, potentially prompting Herzog to grant him the mandate over Netanyahu.

The president’s consultations with party representatives are expected to begin on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, opposition party leaders have also reportedly agreed that their first move after the new Knesset is sworn in on November 10 would be to oust Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party.

The move would require a majority in a Knesset vote and could be achievable with the support of the Arab parties, bringing the potential backing to 67 seats.

Replacing Ohana would give the opposition bloc greater control over the parliamentary agenda, including votes, legislation, and committee appointments, even if Netanyahu remained in office as head of a caretaker government.

Liberman had reportedly been pushing Oded Forer, who holds the fourth slot on the Yisrael Beytenu Knesset slate, to become Knesset speaker before his Monday remarks.

“Regarding the Knesset speaker, all the speculation and nonsense – we were not extortionists, and we do not intend to extort,” Liberman said.

“Yair Lapid said he wants to be Knesset speaker. We will support Yair Lapid’s candidacy for Knesset speaker.”

“Next Tuesday, we will act to collect signatures to replace the Knesset speaker,” he added.

“Replacing the Knesset speaker is critical, also for the election of the state comptroller. This Knesset speaker functioned as a political commissar [and] broke all the rules.”

The Knesset is expected to be sworn in on November 10, regardless of any government or coalition talks.