Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called for a government to be formed without Benjamin Netanyahu at its helm. He made the statement in Herzliya, where the leaders of the main Zionist opposition parties met to coordinate their actions following the parliamentary elections.
The meeting took place ahead of the parties’ consultations with President Isaac Herzog. During them, the political forces will indicate whom they recommend to receive the mandate to try to form Israel’s next government.
“We are facing a serious and dangerous attempt to undermine the election results. We must form a government. The events of recent days are yet another reminder that we must remove Netanyahu from the premiership,” Lapid said.The opposition bloc has 48 seats
The meeting was attended by Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, Beyahad leader Naftali Bennett and its second-in-command Yair Lapid, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman, and Democrats chairman Yair Golan.
The four Zionist opposition parties won a total of 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset in the October 27 elections. At least 61 seats are needed for a parliamentary majority.
Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, while the Arab parties received 19. This leaves both sides without a clear path to an independent majority and makes the future government dependent on difficult coalition negotiations.
Presidential consultations are next
According to The Times of Israel, the participants in the meeting are discussing a common approach ahead of their talks with Herzog. Possible obstacles include differences among the opposition parties over how a cabinet could be formed, as well as the question of whether a future government would rely on support from Arab formations or on individual lawmakers outside the bloc.
Following the consultations, the president will give the mandate to the candidate he believes has the best chance of forming a government. The next Knesset must be sworn in on November 10, regardless of the ongoing coalition negotiations.
Sources: news.bg, timesofisrael.com