Dismantling the Change Camp: Netanyahu Mobilizes Political Front to Topple Eisenkot's Project

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a team to thwart the efforts of his designated counterpart, Gadi Eisenkot, who is tasked with forming Israel's new government, exploiting the contradictions and lack of cohesion within the Israeli opposition camp.

The anti-Netanyahu camp holds 67 seats in the Knesset, including 19 for Arab parties. At least seven more seats could be added from one of the Haredi parties in Israel, which does not oppose joining a government with Eisenkot.

However, Eisenkot faces difficulties in converting this numerical advantage in seat count into a cohesive government that meets the demands of his partners, leveraging the weight of a camp that includes right-wing, centrist, left-wing, and Arab parties.

According to the Walla website, "Netanyahu formed a small circle around him whose main goal is to prevent the formation of a government headed by Eisenkot with the participation of Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan."

Netanyahu's political advisory circle includes, among others, MK Yaakov Bar-Dugo, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, MK Ofer Katz, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and close advisors Zvika Brot and Nevo Katz.

According to the Israeli site, the team does not operate as an official coalition negotiation team, but rather as a consultation hub aimed at analyzing political developments, formulating strategy, studying weaknesses in the negotiations conducted by the change alliance, and identifying steps that should be promoted publicly versus those better managed quietly behind the scenes.

The Haredi parties are one of the key files on which the team's efforts focus, aiming to dissuade parties previously allied with Netanyahu from moving to the opposition camp.

The Israeli site states: "Those close to Netanyahu realize that the United Torah Judaism party is not a single entity, and that alongside party leader Yaakov Asher, there are other influential figures representing different currents."

To keep the Haredi party divided, Netanyahu's team maintains communication through several channels, attempting to understand their positions, influence their behavior, and prevent any agreements that would enable Eisenkot to form a government.