The leaders of Israel’s four Jewish opposition parties met in Herzliya on Tuesday and agreed to immediately launch coalition negotiations and coordinate their parliamentary strategy ahead of the new Knesset’s swearing-in next week.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc lost its parliamentary majority, but the Jewish opposition parties hold just 48 seats to his 53; they can command a majority only with the support of the two Arab parties, which won a combined 19 seats. The leaders reaffirmed their support for recommending that President Isaac Herzog give Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government and agreed that negotiating teams will begin drafting coalition agreements and policy guidelines. The first item on the parliamentary agenda will be replacing Likud’s Amir Ohana as Knesset speaker, which would open the way for a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Likud said the opposition intends to form a “dangerous government” reliant on “supporters of terrorism.” The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Unit 730, responsible for protecting senior officials, is set to directly take over security arrangements for Eisenkot, senior sources confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.