Netanyahu attacks opposition leaders over unity agreement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday attacked five opposition leaders who agreed to coordinate their campaigns ahead of next month's Knesset election to replace his government, claiming they would seek to form a coalition with Arab parties.

Opposition coordination

The leaders met at Yair Lapid's residence in Tel Aviv to forge a united front for the Oct. 27 vote, releasing a document that named replacing the current government their "shared highest objective" despite ideological differences between their respective factions. They pledged to refrain from campaigning against one another before a new government is formed, and agreed to work to boost turnout and broaden support for the opposition bloc, though they failed to agree on a single candidate for prime minister.

Netanyahu's warning

Netanyahu posted an AI-altered photograph on X that added United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas and Hadash-Ta'al leader Ahmad Tibi to the opposition group's meeting picture, depicting the five leaders alongside Arab party figures. "Only a strong Likud will stop them," he wrote, claiming Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot would seek to form a government with Lapid, Golan, Bennett, Lieberman and Arab parties.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that the meeting brought together Lapid of Yesh Atid, Eisenkot of Yashar, Bennett of Together, Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu and Golan of the Democrats in a rare display of opposition cohesion. The country heads to the polls on Oct. 27 with Netanyahu seeking to extend his right-wing bloc's tenure amid mounting pressure from the coordinated opposition alliance to end his rule.