Netanyahu attacks opposition after five-party coordination ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election

# What happened Five opposition leaders met at Yair Lapid's home in Tel Aviv on September 26 to coordinate their approach to the October 27 Knesset election. Attendees were Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), Naftali Bennett (Bennett 2026), Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu), Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar) and Yair Golan (Democrats).

# Why they met The meeting produced a short coordination document and a group photo. The leaders want to increase voter turnout for their bloc, agree common principles for a future government, and coordinate messaging to counter what they describe as misinformation and smear campaigns.

# What the document says The agreement creates three working groups to act within 48 hours:

• A turnout and election-integrity group to raise votes and address voting concerns.
• A policy group charged with drafting the basic guidelines for the government they seek, including creating an official commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023 attacks and drafting a new constitution.
• A media coordination group to manage communications and respond to "fake news and smear campaigns."

Leaders pledged to work within their own constituencies to boost turnout and to cooperate through election day and afterward with the goal of forming a majority coalition.

Naftali Bennett posted on X that he was "filled with hope" and expressed confidence they could win 63 seats to form a new government. Yair Lapid published the group photo and the coordination document publicly.

# Netanyahu's response Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately criticised the meeting. He posted on X that Gadi Eisenkot would seek to form a government alongside Lapid, Yair Golan, Bennett 2026, Yisrael Beiteinu and Arab parties, and added "Only a strong Likud will stop them." He also shared an AI-altered version of the meeting photo that included United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas and Hadash-Ta'al leader Ahmad Tibi.

# Why this matters for the election The opposition's move signals an attempt to concentrate votes and present a united alternative to Netanyahu's right-wing coalition. Their formal steps to draft guidelines and set up an inquiry into October 7, 2023 show they intend to make security oversight and institutional reforms part of their platform. Netanyahu's framing focuses on alliances with Arab parties as a political warning to his base.

# What to watch next

• How the three working groups define voter-turnout tactics and the election-integrity measures they propose.
• The opposition's draft government guidelines, especially the proposed commission of inquiry into October 7 and any proposed constitutional changes.
• Netanyahu's campaign messaging and whether other parties or leaders respond to the public coordination.

# Bottom line