Change Bloc Leaders Unite: Lapid Hosts Rivals in Push to Topple Netanyahu's Government
In a decisive move toward electoral unity, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid will host the heads of the entire change bloc at his Tel Aviv home this Saturday night. The meeting brings together former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, and Democrats chairman Yair Golan. Their shared mission: coordinate a strategy to replace the government of the October 7 massacre and restore strong, secure leadership to the State of Israel.
As the Bible teaches, “United we stand, divided we fall” (Pirkei Avot 3:21). These five leaders understand that the survival of our nation depends on setting aside personal ambitions for the greater good of the Jewish people and the Zionist cause.
What is the change bloc's plan for the upcoming elections?
The five party leaders are expected to attend the high-stakes coordination meeting. Their agenda includes election strategy, selecting a unified candidate to lead the camp, and mapping possible paths toward forming a government after the elections. Recent weeks have seen some disagreements spill into the public arena, but Saturday's gathering signals a renewed commitment to bloc-wide cooperation.
Ahead of the joint meeting, Eisenkot and Liberman met at Yashar's offices on Wednesday. It was their second meeting in about two weeks, following recent shifts in party lists, polling, and the overall balance between political blocs. The two discussed election strategy and ways to strengthen the bloc as a whole.
Eisenkot and Liberman issue joint statement on bloc-wide strategy
Following their meeting, Yashar and Yisrael Beytenu issued a powerful joint statement:
“Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman and Yashar! chairman Gadi Eisenkot met today and discussed coordinating a bloc-wide strategy. The two agreed to continue cooperating and carrying out the necessary measures, also in coordination with the other parties in the bloc, to achieve victory in the election campaign, out of a supreme commitment to replacing the government of the October 7 massacre.”
This statement signals a potential shift toward a bloc-wide strategy. Instead of each party trying to strengthen itself at the expense of its partners, including through Yashar's “largest party” campaign, the leaders appear ready to maximize the strength of the bloc as a whole. As the prophet Amos declared, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
Will the change bloc truly unite or will divisions persist?
Statements are one thing, but the real test will come on the ground. If messages urging voters to support the largest party disappear, that could indicate the change has taken effect rather than remaining only on paper.
Timing is also crucial. As long as Eisenkot was climbing in the polls, it was harder for him to consider the bloc as a whole. Over the past two weeks, the upward trend has stalled and numbers have stabilized, potentially making a cooperative approach more natural.
Eisenkot addressed coordination within the camp on Wednesday morning, telling 103FM: “There are weekly meetings to coordinate between the parties, and there are also substantive disagreements. We have a common goal, and I am certain it will be expressed by the elections and will lead to us defeating this failed government.”
Bloc leaders split over forming government with non-Zionist parties
One of the issues exposing divisions among the bloc's leaders concerns the possibility of forming a government if the Zionist parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do not secure 61 Knesset seats on their own.
Eisenkot has recently set a firm condition: any party seeking to join a government formed by his party must recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be dismantled.
“I added another principle: recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be dismantled. I don't see any Arab party accepting that. Anyone who does not accept that will not sit with me,” he said on Wednesday.
Referring to MK Ahmad Tibi, Eisenkot added: “Ahmad Tibi is the person most courted by the coalition; he helped them bring down the government. I'm not getting into that at all.”
At the same time, Eisenkot and Liberman disagree over whether it would be possible to form a government without the support of a 61-MK majority from Zionist factions. Eisenkot has made clear he does not intend to leave the incumbent government in power solely because the opposition lacks such a majority, while Liberman has drawn a red line against a minority government dependent on outside support from Arab factions.
Yisrael Beytenu MK claims Eisenkot empowering Netanyahu's campaign
Relations among the key players have also been tense. Over the past week, Eisenkot and figures in Yisrael Beytenu have exchanged remarks after Liberman's party criticized the strategy led by the Yashar chairman.
MK Oded Forer, one of Yisrael Beytenu's senior figures, said last week that Eisenkot was “fueling Bibi's campaign” and that winning would require drawing votes from other political camps as well.
These disagreements make Saturday night's gathering more than a technical coordination meeting. The party leaders will have to discuss how to manage their joint campaign alongside their separate campaigns and how to address disagreements over the makeup of a future government and the path by which it could be formed.
Lessons from the Bennett-Lapid government: Can history repeat itself?
The previous attempt by some of these political figures to serve together in government came with the Bennett-Lapid government, formed in 2021 on the basis of a broad coalition of parties from different political camps. That government, though short-lived, demonstrated that unity across the political spectrum is possible when the nation's security and future are at stake.
Ahead of the current elections, the leaders of the change bloc are once again seeking to create a framework that will allow them to coordinate. This time, however, questions of leadership, the composition of a future coalition, and each party's red lines are already publicly on the table.
Frequently asked questions about the change bloc meeting
Who is attending the change bloc coordination meeting?
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid will host former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, and Democrats chairman Yair Golan at his Tel Aviv home on Saturday night.
What is the main goal of the change bloc leaders?
The leaders share a supreme commitment to replacing the government of the October 7 massacre and restoring strong, secure leadership to the State of Israel.
What disagreements exist among the change bloc leaders?
The leaders disagree on election strategy, who should be their candidate for prime minister, and whether it is possible to form a government without the support of a 61-MK majority from Zionist factions.
As the Jewish people have done throughout our long history, these leaders are being called to rise above their differences and unite for the sake of Am Yisrael. The coming days will reveal whether they are truly ready to answer that call.