Five leading members of Israel’s opposition gathered at the home of opposition leader Yair Lapid on September 26 to finalize a non-aggression pact ahead of the October 27 election. The signatories included Lapid’s co-runner Naftali Bennett, former military Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Democrats party leader Yair Golan, and Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu. In their joint statement, the leaders declared their shared goal of forming a “Zionist, statesmanlike government dedicated to repair and reconstruction,” despite acknowledging ideological differences among themselves.
Eisenkot, a 66-year-old credited with developing military doctrines involving large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure, served as Israeli military chief from 2015 to 2019 before entering politics in 2022. He joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet following the October 7, 2023 attacks but resigned in June 2024 alongside former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, citing concerns about Netanyahu’s strategy. Eisenkot founded the centrist Yashar party in a year later, advocating for professional governance and military service expansion. He has been critical of American influence on Israeli military objectives while not questioning those objectives themselves.
Beyachad, the joint ticket announced in April 2026, pairs Bennett and Lapid, who previously governed together for 18 months between Netanyahu administrations. Bennett, a longtime settlement supporter, and Lapid, founder of the centrist Yesh Atid party, have both resisted prioritizing resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or supporting Palestinian statehood. The partnership explicitly rules out including Arab parties in a post-election coalition.
Liberman, who founded Yisrael Beiteinu in 1999 to represent right-leaning Russian-speaking immigrants, has emerged as the bloc’s most hawkish voice. He has rejected serving under Netanyahu, including ultra-Orthodox parties, or relying on Arab parties in any coalition arrangement. Analysts note that despite stylistic differences from Netanyahu, the opposition bloc shares his fundamental right-wing orientation toward Israel’s security challenges and international relations, with limited commitment to transformative policy changes.
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