Leaders of the opposition bloc in Israel meet to gauge an alternative government to Netanyahu

Leaders of the opposition bloc in Israel meet to explore an alternative government to Netanyahu The meeting brings together the opposition leader, Gadi Eisenkot, whose party Yashar won 21 seats and became the country's second political force, with his potential allies from B'Yachad, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid; and the Democrats, Yair Golan; as well as Avigdor Lieberman, from Israel Beitenu. The leaders of the opposition parties in Israel hold a joint meeting this Tuesday to explore an alternative government to the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in line with the common will to form an Executive that removes the Likud leader from power and avoids new elections. The meeting brings together the opposition leader, Gadi Eisenkot, whose party Yashar won 21 seats and became the country's second political force, with his potential allies from B'Yachad, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid; and the Democrats, Yair Golan; as well as Avigdor Lieberman, from Israel Beitenu. Before the meeting, Lieberman has insisted on forming an alternative government to Netanyahu, although he has expressed his view that there should be no Arab parties in the Executive. "We must prevent new elections," the Israeli leader stated in a message on social media, one day after confirming his support for Eisenkot; a key move that increases the possibility of the former Chief of Staff receiving the mandate from the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog. In any case, Lieberman, a former minister from Netanyahu who held the portfolios of Defense and Foreign Affairs in governments led by the Likud leader, has insisted that the alternative should be formed without the Arab parties Raam and the Joint List, despite them having achieved historic results with 19 seats that give them a pivotal role. "There is enough room to maneuver in the current political situation, and with correct navigation, it is possible to quickly form a functional and stable Government without Raam and the Joint List," he explained. This thesis clashes with the position of the Democrats, whose leader, Yair Golan, met with the leaders of the Joint List, Yusef Jabarin and Ahmad Tibi, on the same Tuesday, in a first contact since the elections a week ago, the party informed in a statement. The political leaders debated "coordination between factions and the necessary steps to use the parliamentary majority to replace" Netanyahu's Executive, as well as "key issues" for the Arab population, within the framework of coordination "with the will to form a Government of change." Furthermore, in statements collected by 'The Times of Israel' before the meeting, Lapid has emphasized the need to accelerate the process of forming a Government in Israel in response to the "serious and dangerous attempts to undermine the election result," referring to Netanyahu's allegations of irregularities. According to him, the Prime Minister's attitude is a "reminder" that the opposition parties must cooperate to "remove" Netanyahu from office. For now, Herzog has given until Wednesday for all parties to deliberate among themselves before starting to summon the leaders of the formations that have obtained parliamentary representation. The final results gave victory to the Likud, which would have won with 27 seats, over Yashar's 21. However, none of its blocs have enough seats to have a majority, leaving the key in the hands of the Arab parties or a right-wing alliance that excludes the ultra-Orthodox. COMMENTS To comment on this article you must be a subscriber. Latest Most read 2. 3. 4. 5. Some read, others inform. Take this unique offer. Digital Plan +$4.990 per month, from here until February SUBSCRIBE