Eisenkot Calls for Urgent Opposition Summit to Consolidate ‘Zionist Majority’ as Bennett and Lapid Unveil Unified Slate

Gadi Eisenkot invites opposition leaders to coordinate a Zionist majority, following the Bennett-Lapid merger, while notably excluding Benny Gantz.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 27, 2026, 7:12 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel

A Call for Strategic Unity Among Opposition Factions

In the wake of a major realignment within the Israeli political landscape, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot has issued a formal call for a summit of opposition leaders to coordinate a path toward a "Zionist" majority. The invitation comes less than 24 hours after former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid announced the formation of "Together" (Beyachad), a joint slate intended to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming October elections. Eisenkot, whose party currently holds 12 seats in recent projections, is positioning himself as a critical bridge between the various centrist and right-leaning opposition parties that share a common goal of leadership change.

The Fallout with Benny Gantz and Yashar's Independent Path

One of the most significant omissions from Eisenkot’s invitation list is Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. The relationship between the two former military chiefs has deteriorated sharply since Eisenkot’s departure from Gantz’s faction last year to form Yashar. Eisenkot has publicly criticized Gantz for his perceived openness to joining a Netanyahu-led government, a stance that stands in stark contrast to the "Zionist majority" doctrine Eisenkot is now promoting. By excluding Gantz, Eisenkot is effectively drawing a line in the sand, categorizing his former partner as outside the primary opposition bloc committed to a total transition of power.

The Shift Toward an Exclusively Zionist Coalition

The framing of the proposed meeting emphasizes a "Zionist" majority, a terminology that intentionally excludes Arab-majority parties such as Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am. This represents a significant shift in strategy compared to the 2021 "change government," which relied on the support of Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am party to maintain power. In the post-October 7 political climate, opposition leaders like Bennett and Liberman have explicitly stated that they will no longer partner with Arab factions, citing security concerns and fundamental ideological differences. This shift to a strictly Zionist-only coalition model reflects a hardening of political stances across the Israeli center-right.