Eisenkot invites most opposition chiefs to meet, coordinate path to ‘Zionist majority’ victory |
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition Yashar party, on Monday invited most anti-Netanyahu party leaders to convene for a meeting, in order to coordinate a path to a victory by a “Zionist majority” over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in elections set for October.
Eisenkot extended the invitation to former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who announced a merger between their parties on Sunday into a new “Together” alliance, and who said the door was open for Eisenkot to join their alliance. Eisenkot has indicated he does not intend to take up that offer.
Also invited by Eisenkot to meet and coordinate were Avigdor Liberman of the Yisrael Beytenu party and Yair Golan of the Democrats. Eisenkot did not invite Benny Gantz, head of the centrist Blue and White party. Eisenkot was previously Gantz’s No. 2 in that party. Arab party leaders were also not invited.
Eisenkot is currently figuring fairly strongly in pre-election polling, heading for 14 seats in a Channel 12 poll last week, for instance. Gantz is polling at below the 3.25% minimum threshold for Knesset representation.
According to a statement from Yashar, Eisenkot reached out to the parties to coordinate a meeting aimed at securing what he described as a “Zionist” majority in the next election, due to be held by late October.
The appeal is the latest in a series of attempts by Eisenkot to broker a broader opposition alliance.
The Yashar leader was reported to have proposed a merger with Bennett and Lapid in January, and Channel 12 reported last week that the three had held talks on forming a new........