Israeli opposition parties unite in pact to challenge Netanyahu ahead of October vote

Saturday evening saw the heads of five opposition factions—Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Liberman, The Democrats’ Yair Golan, and Together’s Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid—sign a joint declaration outlining cooperation ahead of Israel’s national elections on Oct. 27. The pact calls for expanding each party’s electorate, preventing infighting, and establishing a coalition government immediately after the vote, with three working groups to be formed within 48 hours.

The leaders posted the agreement alongside a photograph taken at Lapid’s Tel Aviv residence, appealing to voters to support their reform agenda. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered on X by sharing an AI-enhanced image that added United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas and Ta’al head Ahmad Tibi, implying the opposition could not succeed without Arab parliamentary factions. Likud’s official account reinforced this narrative, and former Yesh Atid MP Yoav Segalovitz, now with Ra’am, warned that the opposition would need Arab parties to form a government. The Central Elections Committee has disqualified the Joint List parties and Ra’am from the upcoming election, a ruling that the High Court of Justice is set to review this week.