Eisenkot appoints negotiating team to form government

The Yashar! party announced Tuesday the formation of a coalition negotiating team to manage contacts for forming a government and drafting basic guidelines, headed by party chairman Gadi Eisenkot. Alongside the negotiating team, a supporting parliamentary arm has been established that includes former ministers and senior officials, which will begin work meetings today with the change and reform parties.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of a meeting of change bloc leaders held today at the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzliya, attended by Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan and Yair Lapid. According to reports, the parties agreed to work toward removing current Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, but failed to reach agreement on the identity of the next Knesset speaker.

The coalition negotiating team

To lead the political contacts aimed at quickly establishing a government under Gadi Eisenkot that will fulfill the will of the voters, the party has appointed a negotiating team that includes figures with extensive experience in government systems and public administration.

The negotiating team includes Yoav Horowitz, former chief of staff and acting director-general of the Prime Minister's Office; Dr. Yoram Turbowicz, attorney, former chief of staff at the Prime Minister's Office and business executive; Yael Wolf Barel, head of policy and content at Yashar!; Adv. Ronen Aviani, expert in coalition negotiations and party law; and Ronen Manelis, the party's campaign manager and former IDF spokesperson.

Parallel to the negotiating team, a dedicated parliamentary team has been established to formulate work plans, legislative proposals and the moves required to implement the party's agenda from the first days of the new Knesset. The supporting parliamentary team includes Matan Kahana, former minister of religious services; Chili Tropper, former minister of culture and sport; Shaul Meridor, former head of the budget division at the Treasury; and Tair Ifrgan, former director-general of the Labor Ministry.

Lapid entering the meeting (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Already in the first stage, the teams are expected to begin marathon work meetings with the negotiating teams of "the change and reform parties." The party emphasizes that the central goal is to bring about the establishment of a functioning government as quickly as possible, while standing firm on the party's basic guidelines and core principles ahead of the Knesset's opening session.

A senior source in the change bloc told Kikar Hashabat after the meeting of bloc leaders at the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzliya: "Everyone in the room agreed that no government will be formed that relies on the Arabs, and on the other hand everyone agreed that talks must be held with the chareidi factions."

According to reports, if the mandate to form the government is given to Eisenkot, he is expected to receive control of the Arrangements Committee and the position of Knesset speaker as well. However, his partners are seeking to prevent the concentration of powers in his hands, and emphasize the lack of parliamentary experience among Yashar! faction members as justification for their demand to appoint Lapid.

Tropper, who recently joined Eisenkot's list after splitting from the National Home party, has stated in the past that he will not sit in a government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and sets a universal draft law as a threshold condition for any coalition.