All 6 main opposition heads meet for first time, vow safety net for Trump plan, tease plans to topple government

By Sam Sokol 8 October 2025, 1:23 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Left to right: Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 14, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Opposition Leader Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on August 4, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Former prime minister Naftali Bennett visits at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, May 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Former MK Gadi Eisenkot holds a press conference after announcing his resignation from the Knesset and his departure from the National Unity party, in Tel Aviv, July 1, 2025. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Following a first such meeting, the leaders of all six parties in the so-called change bloc call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, appearing to rally behind Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s offer of a political “safety net” to ensure Israeli backing.

The participants did not issue a photograph of their session.

The bloc comprises right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties that seek to provide an alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current, hard-right coalition.

Today’s meeting was attended by Lapid, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, Blue and White-National Unity chief Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beytenu party chairman Avigdor Liberman, “Yashar! With Eisenkot” chief Gadi Eisenkot, and The Democrats head Yair Golan. Bennett and Gantz had stayed away from a previous meeting last month.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the bloc state that they had discussed “coordinating moves to bring down the government as early as the upcoming winter [parliamentary] session and establish a government of repair and healing in Israel.”

The Knesset began the current, nearly three-month-long recess on July 27. It will reconvene on October 19.

“The party leaders called for the implementation of President Trump’s plan to return all 48 hostages and emphasized their proposal for a safety net for the deal,” the statement adds, indicating that all of the members of the bloc have apparently backed Lapid’s recent offer to Netanyahu.

Head of The Democrats party Yair Golan, head of National Unity party Benny Gantz, head of Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid and head of Yisrael Beytenu party Avigdor Liberman hold a joint press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 6, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Yesh Atid chairman earlier this week reiterated his longstanding offer to give the premier political backing for a deal, stating that he was willing to agree on a date for the next elections and to provide the premier with “insurance against his extremist and irresponsible partners,” a reference to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The change bloc also says that a follow-up meeting has already been scheduled, but their statement does not specify when.

Following a meeting attended by most, but not all, of the leaders of the bloc on September 19, it was announced that they would establish a “professional body” aimed at dealing with “the basic guidelines of the next government,” such as drawing up a national constitution, enshrining universal military conscription and “preserving the character of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and Zionist state.”

Speaking at an event prior to this morning’s meeting, Eisenkot complained that the opposition was not united in terms of “ideas nor in understanding who will lead,” Channel 12 reported.