Israeli opposition parties back Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister
The Change bloc aims to establish a new government and prevent further elections by recommending Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog.
Israeli opposition parties have agreed to support Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot as their candidate for prime minister, according to the Hindustan Times. The leaders of the Change bloc reached this agreement during a meeting in Herzliya to discuss forming the country's 38th government.
The opposition alliance intends to use its majority in the 26th Knesset to secure an early transfer of power. In a joint statement, the leaders described Benjamin Netanyahu's administration as the '7/10 government' and said they would work to establish a new administration as quickly as possible.
The meeting included Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot, B’Yachad leader Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, and Democrats chairman Yair Golan. The parties plan to recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog to receive the first mandate to form the government.
The opposition leaders criticised Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party, alleging they are carrying out a campaign to delegitimise the election results and the Central Elections Committee. They stated they are committed to protecting the democratic process.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he is willing to consider a broad national government but rejected an administration dependent on Arab-led parties. He claimed the public does not want a government reliant on Ra'am and the Joint List, accusing those parties of supporting terrorism.
Negotiating teams from the participating opposition parties have been asked to begin immediate discussions to finalise the policy framework required to establish the new government.
