Eisenkot and Bennett shared that they had discussed the “deterioration of Israel’s international standing, and actions toward creating a new and better leadership for Israel.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with former MK Gadi Eisenkot on Sunday to discuss creating a new leadership in Israel, among other topics related to the country, the two announced after the meeting.
The meeting was part of a coordinated preparation plan for replacing the government, the joint statement said, adding that it follows several meetings the two have held in recent weeks.
The meeting also marks another one-on-one meeting to discuss the creation of a new government with Zionist opposition heads before the elections, which are currently scheduled for October 2026.
Discussing Israel’s national standing
Eisenkot and Bennett shared that they had discussed the “deterioration of Israel’s international standing, and actions toward creating a new and better leadership for Israel, one that will unite the people, strengthen security, and rebuild the country.”
They also said that they had discussed the ongoing war and “the urgency of bringing back the hostages.”
Alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrives to testify at the commission of inquiry into Nahal Tzafit disaster in Tel Aviv, August 1, 2022 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
In further one-on-one meetings between opposition party leaders ahead of the elections, Eisenkot met with Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman on Thursday evening.
Eisenkot and Liberman said they had discussed further coordination between the Zionist opposition parties, along with the formation of shared guiding principles that would serve as “a cohesive, responsible, and values-driven governing alternative, one that would lead Israel and replace the ‘October 7 government.'”
Liberman also met with Bennett at the end of August, where the two discussed replacing the government “as soon as possible in order to fix Israel.”
Liberman requested a meeting to formulate “guiding principles” for the next government with heads of Zionist opposition parties, along with former Eisenkot and Bennett, at the end of August.
His request was sent to Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) in an official letter.
Liberman requested that the meeting be held “as soon as possible” to allow for the formulation of the guiding principles, which “must reflect broad agreements on the central issues on the national agenda.”
Among the issues listed by Liberman to be discussed were security, economy, the establishment of a constitution, military service in the country, and the separation of religion and state.
“It is up to us to work together and create a shared foundation for action,” he wrote in the letter.
Lapid held a press conference last week where he said that if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition were to win the elections again, “it would be the end of Zionism.”
The opposition leader went on to say that the coming elections “would not be easy this time either. Everyone will be involved – Bennett, Liberman, and Eisenkot. Each of them has already declared that he will be prime minister, or at the very least defense minister.”
“That is legitimate, I have no problem with people having ambitions, but someone also needs to know how to take all those forces and build a government out of them,” Lapid continued, saying that only his party would be able to form a government successfully.
Before the current Netanyahu government, Bennett and Lapid had formed a national unity government in June 2021.
During that time, and as per a coalition agreement, Bennett served as Prime Minister from June 2021 until July 2022, with Lapid succeeding him until the government was dissolved in December 2022.