TL/DR –
Five leading members of Israel’s opposition have signed a non-aggression pact with the goal to remove Benjamin Netanyahu from power in the upcoming October 27 election. The pact includes Yair Lapid, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Liberman. Criticisms and doubts arise about the pact’s longevity, strength of potential change, and leadership of a potential future coalition, with all members save for Golan taking a primarily right-wing approach to Israel’s challenges and none committed to creating a Palestinian state.
Israeli Opposition Leaders Commit to Overthrow Netanyahu
On September 26, five forefront members of Israel’s Zionist opposition made a joint pledge to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming October 27 election. The non-aggression pact was signed at a meeting held at Yair Lapid’s residence in Tel Aviv. High-profile attendees included Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Liberman.
Despite their ideological differences, the leaders concurred on their primary objective, saying, “The formation of a Zionist, statesmanlike government dedicated to repair and reconstruction is our shared overarching goal.” Notably, how long this alliance will last, and who might lead a future coalition, remain unknown.
All these leaders, except Golan, take a fundamentally right-wing approach to Israel’s challenges. None are explicitly committed to a Palestinian state, and none accept that Israel’s war on Gaza is a genocide. They also do not question Israeli military actions against Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Qatar, and Iran.
An Overview of the Opposition Figures
This section provides a brief overview of the main opposition figures and their political stance. They include Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid of Beyachad, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, and Yair Golan of the Democrats party.
Gadi Eisenkot – Yashar
Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief, is known for the Dahiyeh Doctrine involving “disproportionate force.” He entered politics in 2022 and joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet in 2023. Eisenkot advocates for professional government and military service for all, including ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid – Beyachad
Beyachad (Together) is the joint list formed in April 2026 by former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. Bennett, a longtime supporter of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, leads the list, with Lapid, the founder of the Yesh Atid party, in second place.
Avigdor Lieberman – Yisrael Beiteinu
Lieberman, the founder of Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), is a right-leaning political figure representing Russian-speaking immigrants. He is known for his hawkish views and has ruled out serving under Netanyahu or joining any coalition including the ultra-Orthodox or Arab parties.
Yair Golan – Democrats
Yair Golan, the only leader from the Zionist left at Lapid’s table, heads the Democrats. A retired major-general and former deputy chief of staff, Golan is open to working with Palestinian parties. He is best known for his criticism of the government’s war aims in Gaza.
Roi Zur, a specialist in Israeli politics at the University of Essex, despite their ideological differences on security and conflict, there will be “no winning coalition without these two”. He asserts that concerns about a clash between them miss the point, noting that both oppose Netanyahu.
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