Israeli opposition signal foreign policy change in style, but not substance
Key takeaways
- Israeli opposition criticise how Netanyahu has conducted Israel’s wars, but cannot risk opposing the wars in principle.
- The accusations from opposition figures, like Lapid, that Israel has never been more isolated or regarded as more extremist and unstable by foreign leaders are not without substance.
- Speaking on Israel’s Channel 14 on Thursday, Netanyahu told viewers: “It will never end,” he said, staring into the camera. “Listen to me: It will never end.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Israeli opposition criticise how Netanyahu has conducted Israel’s wars, but cannot risk opposing the wars in principle.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Former Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett, left, and Yair Lapid, right, have united to try and overthrow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next Israeli elections [File: Abir Sultan/EPA]By Simon Speakman Cordall Published On 1 Jul 20261 Jul 2026Leading figures from the Israeli opposition have used the country’s prestigious Herzliya Conference to lay out their policy agendas, but analysts and observers noted that their foreign policy positions differ little from those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling far-right coalition.
None of the three main opposition figures – former military Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, both former prime ministers – offered attendees at Reichman University on Wednesday much criticism of Israel’s recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.