Liberman Calls Lapid and Opposition Leaders for Urgent Meeting to Form a New Opposition Bloc

SadaNews - Israeli Channel 12 reported that the head of the "Israel Beiteinu" party, Avigdor Liberman, called on Wednesday the opposition leader Yair Lapid to hold an urgent meeting to discuss outlining the framework for a future government.

The channel added that the invitation includes opposition party leaders, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and former Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot.

Israeli news site "Walla" reported that Liberman clarified in his message that the goal of the meeting is to start working on forming a "new change bloc" which he intends to lead in preparation for the upcoming elections, emphasizing that the opposition bears a "national responsibility" to provide an alternative to the current government, which he accused of "causing the devastation and disaster of October 7."

The former defense minister indicated that the current phase requires "responsible and balanced leadership" capable of uniting the ranks and enhancing public confidence, considering that forming this bloc is a crucial step towards a "better future for Israel."

The Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid had rejected last Monday the proposal to join an emergency government suggested by Benny Gantz to release prisoners in the Gaza Strip, at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, confirmed that he would not dismantle the ruling coalition.

Gantz, the leader of the "Blue and White" party, called for the formation of a "government without extremists" that includes Netanyahu, Lapid, and Avigdor Liberman, aiming to end the war and reach a prisoner exchange deal.

The crisis between the government and opposition in Israel has escalated recently after Hamas announced its agreement along with Palestinian factions to the proposal put forth by the mediators (Qatar and Egypt), but Israel responded to this move with indifference and then announced its rejection of "partial deals" as it described.

Israel followed that move by announcing its approval of a military plan to occupy the city of Gaza, which includes calling up 60,000 reserve soldiers, at a time when concerns are growing over the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis suffered by over two million Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Various cities in Israel witnessed protests and demonstrations since yesterday morning, Tuesday, where thousands of demonstrators participated demanding an end to the war on Gaza and the return of prisoners. Demonstrators closed central streets in central and northern Israel and also protested in front of the homes of several government ministers as part of the protests demanding a deal to return prisoners from the Gaza Strip.