Israeli opposition leaders meet for 1st time since elections, agree to back Eisenkot for prime minister

Israeli opposition leaders met Tuesday for the first time since last week’s parliamentary elections and agreed to back Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister, according to local media.

The meeting was attended by Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of the Together party, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan of the Democrats, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, The Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the newspaper, the meeting took place amid disagreements and political deadlock between the rival blocs, with neither side currently having a clear majority to form a government.

Following the meeting, Bennett called for the swift formation of a new government and pledged his party’s full support for Eisenkot.

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“We have no time. We need to act with great urgency,” Bennett said, adding that the opposition should move quickly to secure the mandate to form a government.

The Oct. 27 elections left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition secured 48 seats and Arab parties won 19.

The opposition therefore remains short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority and would need support from Arab lawmakers or parties outside Netanyahu’s bloc to form a government.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to begin consultations with parties represented in the new Knesset on Wednesday before deciding which lawmaker to task with forming a government.

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