Leaders of Israel’s opposition parties seeking to form a coalition to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened on Saturday evening and signed a joint agreement to collaborate in the lead-up to the October general elections. The meeting brought together the heads of four key parties in the opposition bloc: Gadi Eisenkot of Yashar, Naftali Bennett of B'Yachad, Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu, and Yair Golan of The Democrats.

The leaders signed a document outlining their commitment to work collectively to increase voter turnout, refrain from attacking one another during the campaign, and develop a shared framework for governing should they successfully form a new government. While the agreement emphasized cooperation, it did not specify a process for choosing the opposition bloc’s prime ministerial candidate. Eisenkot has expressed the view that the leader of the largest party within the bloc should assume that role.

The meeting took place at the residence of opposition leader Yair Lapid, who holds the second position on the B'Yachad party list. Notably, Arab party leaders were not invited to participate in the discussions.

Following the meeting, Naftali Bennett expressed optimism about the bloc’s prospects, stating his confidence that they could secure 63 seats in the Knesset and collaboratively address the country’s challenges. He added that participants recognized the significance of the moment and had set aside personal differences to focus on their shared objectives. The leaders agreed to maintain full cooperation not only until the election day but also in the post-election period, signaling a unified front aimed at unseating Netanyahu and forming a new government.