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

Netanyahu met Ben-Gvir and Smotrich as opposition leaders held separate talks. Eisenkot accused Likud of undermining the vote, while Lapid urged patience.

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.

Meanwhile, leaders of the bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu held meetings on Thursday in several configurations, 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.

Meetings also took place within Netanyahu's bloc. Otzma Yehudit said party chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir held a lengthy meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday, during which the two discussed "how to preserve the right-wing government and prevent the establishment of a left-wing government supported by supporters of terrorism."

Netanyahu also met with Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday for what was described as "coordination of steps."

Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of undermining election results

Eisenkot also addressed suspicions of foreign interference in the elections following meetings with the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the chairman of the Central Elections Committee.

He said it was too early to determine whether such interference had occurred and stressed that the relevant professional authorities must be allowed to complete their investigations without political involvement.

At the same time, he accused Netanyahu and Likud of conducting a coordinated campaign to delegitimize the election results and said he would not allow any deviation from the planned timetable for the swearing-in of the Knesset.

Eisenkot also announced that his teams were preparing several bills to be submitted when the Knesset convenes, including legislation establishing military recruitment and national service requirements for all Israeli citizens, the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre, and changes to the budget allocation mechanism.

He pledged to continue acting with determination while calling on the public to show restraint and patience.

Lapid urges patience as coalition negotiations continue

Meanwhile, Lapid issued a statement addressing the disappointment that neither political bloc had secured a clear majority of 61 Knesset seats.

He argued that although the election had not produced a decisive outcome, the results nevertheless represented a victory for Netanyahu's opponents.

Lapid pointed to the high voter turnout, which he said reached 77.7%, and argued that Netanyahu had no way to form a government based on the election results.

However, he acknowledged that forming an alternative government would also be a complicated task, with no guarantee of success.

In his statement, Lapid urged the public not to expect constant updates about the political negotiations, explaining that forming a government requires prolonged, discreet work.

He compared the negotiations to the work of a watchmaker, carefully assembling gears until the mechanism begins to function.