Netanyahu meets Ben-Gvir, Smotrich as opposition leaders hold coalition talks
Netanyahu met Ben-Gvir and Smotrich as opposition leaders held separate talks. Eisenkot accused Likud of undermining the vote, while Lapid urged patience.
Opposition leaders Benjamin Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid, Yair Golan, Mansour Abbas, Naftali Bennett, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich engaged in talks to discuss forming a new government following Tuesday's election. With no political coalition securing a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, negotiations are ongoing.
Eisenkot accused Netanyahu and Likud of attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the election results, while Lapid urged patience as the behind-the-scenes discussions continued. Both leaders announced plans to submit bills to the Knesset, including military recruitment, a national inquiry into the October 7 massacre, and changes to budget allocations.
Golan met separately with Raam chairman Mansour Abbas and opposition party chairmen Eisenkot and Lapid. Bennett held meetings with Eisenkot and Golan. Meanwhile, Ben-Gvir had a lengthy meeting with Netanyahu to discuss preserving the right-wing government and preventing a left-wing government supported by terror supporters. Smotrich met with Netanyahu to coordinate steps.
Eisenkot addressed concerns of foreign interference in the election, stating that the issue should be left to professional authorities to investigate without political interference. He also pledged to adhere to the planned timeline for the Knesset swearing-in ceremony.
Lapid acknowledged the disappointment of no clear majority but argued that the high voter turnout (77.7%) represented a victory for his opponents. Despite the complicated task of forming an alternative government, Lapid urged the public to be patient, comparing the process to a watchmaker assembling gears.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
