Netanyahu meets Ben-Gvir, Smotrich as opposition leaders hold coalition talks

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud of attempting to undermine the legitimacy of Israel's election results, while Yair Lapid urged patience as coalition negotiations continued. Neither bloc secured a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu met with Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud of attempting to undermine the legitimacy of Israel's election results, while Yair Lapid urged the public to remain patient as negotiations to form the next government continued behind the scenes. The statements came amid uncertainty over the composition of the next government following Tuesday's election, with neither political bloc securing a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Leaders of the bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu held meetings on Thursday, some involving the Ra'am party. Democrats chairman Yair Golan met separately with Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas, Eisenkot, and Lapid, while B'Yachad party chairman Naftali Bennett held meetings with Eisenkot and Golan. Within Netanyahu's bloc, Otzma Yehudit said party chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir held a lengthy meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday, during which the two discussed how to preserve the right-wing government. Netanyahu also met with Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich. Eisenkot also addressed suspicions of foreign interference in the elections and accused Netanyahu and Likud of conducting a coordinated campaign to delegitimize the election results. Lapid argued that although the election had not produced a decisive outcome, the results represented a victory for Netanyahu's opponents, pointing to high voter turnout of 77.7%.