Lapid Calls for Replacing Netanyahu as Opposition Leaders Meet

Original report Yair Lapid called for replacing Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister on Tuesday morning, November 3, as he arrived at a meeting of Change Bloc leaders. His remarks came ahead of President Isaac Herzog’s consultations with parliamentary factions on who should receive the task of forming Israel’s next government. “We need to remove Netanyahu from the Prime Minister’s Office,” Lapid said at the entrance to the meeting. He also described the election as proper and democratic and accused Likud of refusing to acknowledge defeat. Those comments expressed Lapid’s assessment of the result; the reports of his arrival did not announce an agreement on a governing coalition or its leader. The previous evening, Netanyahu had set out a different position in a statement on his official channel. He advocated a broad national government including his existing partners and other parties willing to join. Netanyahu said he was open to dialogue and argued that he and Likud should lead the government. Herzog’s office announced that consultations would begin at the President’s Residence on Wednesday, November 4, at 17:00, starting with Religious Zionism–Zehut. Shas was scheduled for 18:15 and Yisrael Beitenu for 19:30, with further factions on Thursday. The President’s announcement said he would assign an MK the government-formation task after the consultations. That member would have 28 days, with a possible presidential extension of up to 14 days. Update • On November 3, Naftali Bennett urged rapid action to secure the Knesset leadership and the mandate to form a government. “We need to act with great urgency,” he said in a post on his official account. • After the bloc leaders’ meeting, Bennett said Together would fully support Gadi Eisenkot’s efforts to form a government as quickly as possible. He called for a Zionist government focused on repair.