Yashar Says Likud Figures Called Its Members After Election

Yashar, the party led by Gadi Eisenkot, said on Saturday evening, October 31, that figures it associated with Likud had called its members in recent hours. The party named Almog Cohen, Yoav Kisch and Yaakov Bardugo among those it said had made contact, alongside other people it did not name. The party portrayed the approaches as pressure following Likud’s electoral defeat. That characterization, and the account of the calls, came from Yashar. Its statement did not identify individual recipients or describe an offer or demand made during a call. Yashar said: “We are committed to implementing the public’s decision.” It reiterated its intention to form a Zionist government serving all Israelis. Earlier the same evening, Yair Lapid said he had met Eisenkot and discussed the election results. In his own statement, Lapid said the two had coordinated their moves out of a shared commitment to fulfilling voters’ wishes. The meeting and the party’s subsequent account of the calls were separate developments in the post-election discussions. The formal consultations with the president were still ahead. In an October 29 statement, President Isaac Herzog said he would meet representatives of all Knesset factions after receiving the official results. He referred to consultations the following week and called on political leaders to consider what was best for the country.