Israeli politicians are looking to replace Netanyahu

A look at the main leaders of Israel's opposition, their parties and their common positions on Gaza and other wars.

On September 26, five key members of the self-proclaimed Zionist opposition signed a non-aggression pact that sought to oust Benjamin Netanyahu in October 27 elections.

At the home of Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition in Tel Aviv, his colleague, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the leader of Bichad, were gathered. Gadi Eisenkot, former chief of staff, leader of Yashar's new party; Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic Party; and Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Bitino party.

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In the statement of principles that was published after this several-hour meeting, the leaders said: "Despite the ideological differences between us, the formation of a Zionist government and a statesman dedicated to repair and reconstruction is our general goal."

However, whether they offer meaningful changes in substance as well as style, or which of them might lead the future coalition, remains open to question.

With the exception of the Golan, all have a fundamentally right-wing approach to Israel's challenges.

None of them are committed to the creation of a Palestinian state, and only the Democrats recognize it as a distant and uncertain goal. None, Golan admits, among other things, that Israel's war against Gaza constitutes genocide or that it has committed war crimes by killing more than 74,000 people there. Also, no Israeli military actions against Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Qatar and Iran have been questioned, instead drawing criticism for how these actions have allowed Israel to be perceived internationally.

Aharon Bergman, an Israeli analyst and senior professor at King's College London, says: "The dominant forces in the opposition, such as Bennett, Lieberman or Eysenkot, represent right-wing politics. They are unwilling to touch the real and fundamental issue at the heart of everything: the Palestinian issue and the Palestinian aspirations for independence. He likened them to Netanyahu, but without the corruption charges and the support of far-right figures, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Guir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smutrich. He added: "Israel is a right-wing nation as a whole.

So, who are the main opposition figures and what are their parties for?

Eysenkot, who in 2008 created the Dahiya Doctrine, which involves "disproportionate force" and the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure against groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, served as IDF chief from 2015 to 2019.

The 66-year-old entered politics in 2022 with former Defense Minister Benny Gantz's National Unity Coalition and later joined the war cabinet formed by Netanyahu after Hamas attacks. in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In December of that year, his son Gal, 25, and two of his nephews were killed while participating in the Gaza genocide. they see

In June 2024, he left the war cabinet alongside Gantz, accusing Netanyahu of lacking a strategy to end the war. A year later, Eysenkot founded the moderate Yashar (Right/Truthful), which advocated a professional government, conscription for all—including ultra-Orthodox Jews—and a state commission of inquiry into the pre-October 7 failures.

While ambivalent about many of Israel's foreign policy positions, he has criticized the government's reliance on the United States to achieve its war goals, while not questioning those goals himself. In June, he described Washington's mediation talks with Tehran to end the war against Iran that Washington had started with Israel as "a deal that is being formed far from here and far from Israel's interests," and in the same month, he criticized US restrictions on Israel's freedom of action in Lebanon.

Eisenkot has denied the presence of United Arab List or Ram party in the post-election coalition. In a September 26 interview with Channel 12, he said that none of the Arab parties would accept his terms, including recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.

Beyachad (Together) is a joint list announced in April 2026 by former Prime Ministers Fatali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who served a total of 18 months in 2021-2022 between Netanyahu's administrations.

Bennett, 54, a longtime supporter of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, is tied for second with Lapid, the 62-year-old founder of the centrist Yesh Atid party.

Lapid called his partner a "right-wing but honest politician". None of them prioritized the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and did not support the formation of a Palestinian state. Although their 2021 coalition included Ram, Bennett has admitted it broke a campaign promise.

Lapid has been one of Israel's most outspoken critics of the international perception of the genocide and the numerous attacks on its neighbors, while rarely questioning the reasons for these actions. In contrast, Bennett is more outspoken in his warmongering views. A staunch supporter of the country's war against Iran, he also congratulated Israel's military and security services for the September 2025 attack on Qatar's capital Doha, which targeted senior Hamas leaders. A Qatari security official was killed in the attack, which drew condemnation from across the region and beyond.

They are now looking for a government made up of Zionist parties and reject relying on Arab parties.

The most belligerent voice at Lapid's table, Lieberman, 68, founded Yisrael Bitino (Israel Our Home) in 1999 to represent right-wing Russian-speaking immigrants.

Once a protégé of Netanyahu, Lieberman has ruled out serving under him or joining a coalition that includes ultra-Orthodox or Arab-leaning parties, which he calls anti-Zionist. He has also ruled out a minority government, reportedly making him the main obstacle to Eysenkot becoming the bloc's prime ministerial candidate.

In November 2023, Lieberman repeated his 2018 claim when he was Defense Secretary that "there is no innocence in Gaza". In February, he visited the Karim Abu Salem crossing, known to Israelis as Kerem Shalom, and accused the Netanyahu government of funding Hamas by allowing minimal humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Israeli leader Beitno has been a constant supporter of Israel's genocide and subsequent military actions. In September 2025, he joined other Israeli politicians in criticizing Netanyahu for the apology he was forced by the Trump administration to give to Doha for that month's attack, saying it was owed to the Israeli people. "If we are once again talking about a limited operation, maneuvers near the border, maybe a security zone, this is complete madness," he told The Jerusalem Post in March.

"Lieberman does not belong in this bloc," said Shail Ben Ephraim, an Israeli analyst at Atlas Global Strategies, arguing that his main motivation was hatred of Netanyahu.

Still, Lieberman "remains a loyal base and is a vital force in Israeli politics," Ben-Efraim said. His main constituency is former Soviet voters, but he has gained more trust through his perceived independence.

Observers say he could potentially return to Netanyahu's right-wing bloc.

Golan, the only leader on Lapid's table from the Zionist left and the only one open to working with Palestinian parties, leads the Democrats, a liberal party formed in 2024 through the merger of Mertz's Labor and Social Democratic and secular parties.

Golan, 64, a retired general and former deputy chief of staff, won domestic acclaim for driving south during a 2023 Hamas offensive and helping repel it.

Golan is alone among many members of the anti-Netanyahu bloc in criticizing the government's war aims, arguing that military gains are wasted without a coherent diplomatic and political strategy.

In May 2025, two years after the genocide in Gaza, Golan sparked controversy when he told a news conference that "a sane country does not kill babies as entertainment" and accused ministers of celebrating the starvation of Palestinian children in the land. He later retracted these comments after widespread criticism in Israel. In October, while praising the achievements of the previous year's 12-day war against Iran, he told party members that the assassination of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict was a "mistake." Nehav noted, because he did not deserve to die, just because he did not serve the interests of the State of Israel.

Despite his willingness to work with Palestinian parties, Golan in September supported the disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh, leader of the Arab Balad party, for an article on October 7 that drew criticism from the Joint List—the Arab-led coalition of Hadash, Tal, and Balad parties—and commentators.

Roy Zor, an expert on Israeli politics at the University of Essex, said that despite Golan and Lieberman's ideological differences on security and conflict, "there would be no winning coalition without these two". He added that concerns about a conflict between them belied the issue, noting that both oppose Netanyahu, are pro-secularization and strongly oppose conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews.