Israeli Opposition Leaders Launch Push for Emergency Government

Israeli opposition leaders met Tuesday and came out swinging, pledging to assemble a

The four parties that sat down — Yashar, B'Yachad (Together), Democrats and Yisrael Beiteinu — called the meeting just days after last week's election shook up the Knesset. Former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid were among the leaders at the table, signaling the opposition isn't wasting any time.

The election delivered a bruising result for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: his Likud party lost nine seats in the Knesset, opening the door the opposition is now sprinting through. The bloc says it wants a government with a clear parliamentary majority, not a fragile patchwork.

On substance, the leaders agreed to build what they described as a Zionist government. That means keeping mandatory military service in place and maintaining the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization — two positions they want locked in from day one.

There's an arithmetic problem, though. The four opposition parties hold just 48 Knesset seats, and a majority takes 61. That gap means they'll likely need backing from Arab parties to get a viable government across the finish line.

The statement Tuesday was a vow, not a done deal. Coalition talks are now the next move, and with 13 seats still separating them from a majority, the negotiating is only getting started.