Israel’s Netanyahu criticises opposition uniting against him for election

What the report says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised an emerging opposition bloc that is trying to coordinate ahead of Israel’s October 27 Knesset election, according to Al Jazeera. Five opposition figures — Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan — met at Lapid’s home in Tel Aviv on Saturday to agree on closer cooperation.

The arrangement, described in a document shared by Lapid, focuses on increasing turnout among their supporters and building a path to a majority that could replace Netanyahu’s government. It also calls for the creation of three working groups in the near term: one on turnout and election integrity, one on drafting the outline of a possible new government, and one on media coordination and responses to misinformation and attack campaigns.

Netanyahu responded on social media by suggesting the opposition was assembling a broad coalition against him and by posting an altered image of the meeting. He said only a strong Likud could stop the effort. Al Jazeera reported that he mentioned Arab parties in his criticism, though the opposition document itself centered on bloc coordination and post-election cooperation.

The move matters because it shows a more organized challenge to Netanyahu as Israel heads into a closely watched vote. Bennett, a former prime minister, said the group believed it could win enough seats to form a government and “fix Israel,” underscoring how the election may reshape the country’s political direction.