Eisenkot welcomes Bennett-Lapid union but says: To win, we need to bring in more votes |
Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, a major figure in the alliance seeking to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday welcomed the union of former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, as a move toward the “shared goal” of forming a new government.
Bennett and Lapid’s new list, dubbed “Together,” will not officially merge their factions into one party but will produce a united list in the election, currently scheduled for October. The two former prime ministers have joined forces previously, leading a short-lived coalition of right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties in 2021-2022.
“The goal of winning the critical elections ahead of us is a shared one,” Eisenkot wrote, calling Bennett and Lapid “partners” and pledging to continue acting “responsibly and wisely” to achieve “the victory and change required for the State of Israel.”
Speaking later Sunday, Eisenkot said the two leaders “are my allies,” adding: “The only goal before me, and I said this to both of them this evening, is the victory of a Zionist, nationally responsible coalition — a coalition of hope in the most critical election Israel has had since its establishment, and I hope this will be the goal of all partners.”
He seemed to suggest the union might find it hard to draw votes away from the pro-Netanyahu right, however. “For this victory to happen, we need to bring in more votes — that is our only test. Every union must be judged by that.”
Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff and member of the emergency government following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught, did not say he would join Lapid and Bennett in their new joint slate, but “the door is definitely open” for him, an opposition source with knowledge of the matter told The Times of Israel.
“He could be a central player in this,” the source said, adding that “we certainly hope he joins.” Bennett later confirmed his desire to recruit Eisenkot, saying: “Our door is open for you too.”
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