Several leaders of opposition parties held a meeting Saturday evening, after which they announced that they were establishing a “permanent forum” aimed at bringing together the various factions of a bloc opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of next year’s elections.

The so-called “change bloc” comprises right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties that seek to provide an alternative to the current, hard-right Netanyahu-led coalition.

In a joint statement, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party, Yisrael Beytenu party chairman Avigdor Liberman, “Yashar! With Eisenkot” chief Gadi Eisenkot, and The Democrats head Yair Golan said that the group’s next meeting would be held “immediately” after the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which this year falls on October 2.

As part of their efforts to coordinate ahead of the next national election, the opposition chiefs also announced the establishment of a “professional body” aimed at dealing with “the basic guidelines of the next government,” such as drawing up a national constitution, enshrining universal military conscription, and “preserving the character of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and Zionist state.”

Neither former prime minister Naftali Bennett — who has formed a new party provisionally called Bennett 2026 — nor Blue and White-National Unity chief Benny Gantz attended Saturday evening’s meeting, with Bennett marking the 10th anniversary of his father’s death, known in Judaism as yahrzeit.

In their statement, the opposition party chiefs said they expected both men to attend such meetings going forward.

A spokesman for Bennett declined to comment on the statement,........

© The Times of Israel