Israel’s opposition parties have agreed to rally behind Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot as their candidate for prime minister, setting in motion efforts to form the next government and end Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure.
Netanyahu open to broad government but rejects Arab party support
The leaders of the Change bloc reached the agreement during a meeting in Herzliya, where they discussed using their majority in the newly elected 26th Knesset to establish the country’s 38th government. They also decided to recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog for the first mandate to form the next government. The opposition alliance aims to secure an early transfer of power and prevent Israel from heading into another election. Negotiating teams from the participating parties have been asked to begin discussions immediately to finalise the policy framework and agreements required to establish the 38th government.
In their joint statement, the leaders described Netanyahu’s administration as the ‘7/10 government’ and said they would work together to establish a new government at the earliest.
The leaders said they would maintain close coordination until the new administration is sworn in. Netanyahu also cited his Likud party’s position as the largest party following the election and said he had been willing from the outset to form a broad government with his natural political partners and any party that did not support terrorism.
Opposition parties agree to recommend Eisenkot for PM
“In accordance with the agreement of the heads of the parties, all the parties will recommend to the President of the State MK from the Yesh! Party Gadi Eisenkot, to receive the first mandate to form the government, with the aim of establishing a government as quickly as possible and preventing Israel from being dragged into additional elections,” the statement shared by Eisenkot on X read. They agreed to coordinate their next steps to translate their parliamentary strength into a new administration during the opening days of the Knesset.
In a statement shared by Eisenkot on X, the opposition leaders said their parties would jointly recommend him to Herzog for the first opportunity to form a government. The leaders also said they were committed to respecting what they described as the electorate’s clear decision in favour of political change.
