Israeli Opposition Unites Behind Former Military Chief Gadi Eisenkot to Challenge Netanyahu's Leadership

In a significant political development, Israel's opposition leaders have united, agreeing to back former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister. Their stated aim is to swiftly replace Benjamin Netanyahu's current government. This agreement emerged from the first joint meeting of the five party heads since the October 27 election, which failed to produce a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The move comes just ahead of President Isaac Herzog's consultations with various parties regarding the formation of the next government.

However, a division persists within the opposition bloc concerning potential alliances with Arab-led parties, whose support could be pivotal. In a joint statement, the leaders declared their intention to recommend Eisenkot, the head of the Yashar party, to President Herzog. They also announced that negotiating teams would immediately commence drafting policy guidelines and coalition agreements. The statement emphasized, "The party leaders are coordinated and will act immediately to replace the ‘Oct. 7 government’ with a national emergency government."

The meeting included Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan of the Democrats, and Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party. These leaders affirmed four core principles outlined by Eisenkot, including the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and the designation of Hamas as a terrorist group by all government parties. These conditions could potentially exclude certain Arab-led parties. Naftali Bennett, whose party secured third place, stressed the urgency, stating, "We don’t have time – we must act with great urgency."

Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats, the opposition won 48, and Arab-led parties collectively obtained 19 seats, with the Joint List taking 11 and Ra’am securing eight. A majority in the Knesset requires 61 seats. Yousef Jabareen, the leader of the largest Arab-led party in the upcoming parliament, urged the opposition to acknowledge the "political reality" and collaborate to oust Netanyahu. Yair Golan is notably the sole opposition leader publicly advocating for an alliance with Arab-led parties, deeming their exclusion as racist. He had previously met with leaders of Arab-led parties, pledging to address the pressing issues of high crime rates within their communities, particularly affecting Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Following their discussions, both sides highlighted their "shared interest in using the parliamentary majority to bring down the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir-Smotrich government and replace it." Avigdor Liberman has consistently opposed the inclusion of Arab-led parties, though he also seeks to prevent another election. Israel's Arab minority population has historically faced marginalization in politics, a situation exacerbated since the October 7 attacks and the subsequent conflict in Gaza. Several former and current Palestinian politicians have faced brief arrests for remarks or actions perceived as critical of Israel's actions in Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank. Arab citizens of Israel are descendants of Palestinians who remained within Israel's borders after the 1948 Nakba, constituting approximately 20 percent of the population.

Benjamin Netanyahu had previously called for a "broad national government" under his leadership, emphasizing that his Likud party, with 27 seats, remained the largest. However, no opposition leader has shown willingness to join him. Netanyahu has ruled out a coalition with Arab-majority lists, citing allegations that they "support terrorism and deny the existence of the Jewish state." Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is currently facing corruption charges and is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.