Israeli opposition forms 3 working teams to unseat Netanyahu, form ‘Zionist government’

The Israeli opposition announced Tuesday the formation of three joint working teams aimed at coordinating efforts to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and form what it called a "Zionist government" after the Oct. 27 election.

The five-party opposition alliance notably excluded Arab parties from the joint initiative ahead of next month's general election, seen as crucial for both Netanyahu's government and the opposition.

On Saturday, opposition leaders Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan agreed to form a "change bloc" to coordinate their election efforts.

Opinion polls indicate that neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition bloc would secure the 61 seats needed to form a government in the 120-member Knesset.

The opposition could potentially form a government with Arab parties, but most Jewish party leaders reject such an alliance, while the government has also sought to exclude Arab parties.

In a statement Tuesday, the opposition said it had decided to "establish joint working teams to ensure victory in the election and form a stable Zionist government that works for the state."

The term "Zionist government" is generally used for a coalition made up of parties that embrace Zionist ideology, whether from the right, center or left, and focus on what they regard as the national interests of the Jewish people, effectively excluding Arab parties from such governments.

"In 28 days, Israeli citizens will go to the polls to participate in the upcoming decisive election and determine the path Israel will take in the coming years," the statement said.

Netanyahu has led the current government since late 2022. It has been described as the most right-wing government in Israel's history.

Criticizing Netanyahu, the opposition said the election comes "after years of internal polarization, lies, failures and loss of trust."

"It is our responsibility to form a Zionist government that works for the state, puts Israel back on the right track and unites the country," it added.

The opposition said that following Saturday's meeting of party leaders, "three joint working teams were formed to strengthen cooperation, coordinate preparations to win the election and lay the groundwork for forming a Zionist government that works for the state."

The first team is tasked with increasing voter turnout, while the second will be responsible for drafting the guiding principles of the next government and an action plan for its first 100 days.

Among the issues it will address are "equality in sharing the burden" of military service and universal enlistment, establishing an official commission of inquiry, limiting the number of terms a prime minister may serve and advancing the adoption of a constitution for Israel.

Israel has no formal constitution despite its establishment in 1948. Instead, it relies on a series of Basic Laws amid longstanding disagreements over the state's identity and whether it should be defined primarily as "the state of the Jewish people" or "a state of all its citizens."

Israel rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, as stipulated in relevant UN resolutions under the two-state solution.

"The third team will be responsible for media coordination and combating disinformation and smear campaigns," the statement said.

The opposition party leaders have not agreed on who would head a future government if they are able to form one after the election.