AA Photo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked five opposition leaders on Sept. 26 following their agreement to coordinate an election campaign to unseat his coalition government.
The five leaders met at the Tel Aviv home of opposition leader Yair Lapid to organize their strategy ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 27.
The meeting brought together Lapid of Yesh Atid, Gadi Eisenkot of Yashar, Naftali Bennett of Together, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu and Yair Golan of the Democrats.
In a joint document released after the talks, the five leaders declared replacing the current government their shared highest objective despite ideological differences.
The leaders pledged to refrain from attacking one another during the campaign and agreed to establish working groups to boost voter turnout across the country.
The opposition leaders concluded the talks without agreeing on a single candidate for prime minister.
Netanyahu responded to the agreement on social media platform X, claiming only his right-wing Likud party could prevent the bloc from taking office.
"Only a strong Likud will stop them," Netanyahu said.
The prime minister posted an artificial intelligence-altered version of the opposition group photo, inserting United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas and Hadash-Ta'al leader Ahmad Tibi into the frame.
Netanyahu accused Eisenkot of seeking to form a governing coalition relying on Arab parties.
The political maneuvering comes as public opinion surveys show Netanyahu's coalition trailing the opposition bloc ahead of the general election.
Forming a government in Israel requires a majority of 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
Netanyahu has headed the current right-wing administration since December 2022, facing mounting domestic criticism over prolonged regional military campaigns and pending corruption trials.
