Lapid urges Bennett and Eisenkot to discuss plans for election behind closed doors

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid calls on Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot to stop pronouncing in public on their plans for the pending general election and instead meet with him to discuss how the opposition will organize itself for the vote.

Both Bennett and Eisenkott intend to run their own political parties in the coming election, which must take place before the end of the year.

Lapid was referring to recent comments both political figures have made in the press about whether or not they will run together on a joint list.

“Gadi, Naftali, enough with this. Why is it good to conduct this [debate] in the media. The right time will come, we will sit down, and agree on everything. Coffee is on me,” Lapid writes on X.

A poll last week by Channel 12 news put Lapid’s Yesh Atid party at just six seats, with Eisenkot’s Yashar party at 13 and Bennett’s party at 22.

Separately, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman ruled out running with any of the other opposition parties, while also vowing not go into a coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I won’t sit with Netanyahu, I will be prime minister after the elections,” Liberman declared. The Channel 12 poll put Yisrael Beytenu on nine seats.