Lapid to gather change bloc leaders in Israel — Jerusalem Post
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid will hold a meeting of the leaders of the so-called change bloc at his home in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday evening ahead of the elections. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman and Democrats party chairman Yair Golan are expected to take part, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Coordination ahead of the elections
The meeting will focus on coordinating the bloc's actions ahead of the elections. At the same time, differences remain among the parties over electoral strategy, who should lead the camp, and possible ways of forming a government after the vote.
Before the joint meeting, Eisenkot and Lieberman met at the Yashar office for the second time in about two weeks. After the talks, the parties issued a joint statement saying they had discussed a strategy for the entire bloc. They also agreed to continue cooperation and coordinate actions with the bloc's other parties to win the elections.
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Differences over the future government
One subject of dispute is the possibility of forming a government if Zionist parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do not independently win 61 seats in the Knesset. Eisenkot stated that a party seeking to join a government formed by his political force must recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be eliminated.
Lieberman, for his part, opposes a minority government dependent on outside support from Arab factions. Eisenkot previously stated that he does not intend to keep the current government in power merely because the opposition lacks a majority of 61 lawmakers from Zionist factions.
Tensions between the parties have also entered the public sphere. Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset member Oded Forer said last week that Eisenkot is “fueling Bibi's campaign,” referring to Netanyahu. At the Saturday meeting, party leaders are expected to discuss a joint campaign and differences over the composition and formation of the future government.
