- Democrats party head Yair Golan calls on leaders of opposition parties to convene emergency meeting to discuss removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government  

- 'We will continue to work with all parts of the opposition, before and behind the scenes, until the disaster government that is destroying the country is overthrown,' says opposition leader Lapid  

JERUSALEM 

Chairman of the Democrats Yair Golan has called on leaders of opposition parties to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. 

Golan said in a recorded message posted on his X account on Wednesday evening, "Today, I reached out to all my friends in the opposition with a clear call: let's embark on a shared path."

He added, “Israel is in an extraordinary state of emergency and is collapsing politically, security-wise, economically, socially, and constitutionally.

“Everything is falling apart around us. We must work in a coordinated, systematic, and consistent manner.”

Golan shared the text of the message he sent to opposition party leaders, stating: “We are in the midst of a war, with hostages in captivity for 328 days, tens of thousands of displaced people, the economy collapsing, and reserve officers and soldiers fighting for a long time without seeing any light at the end of the tunnel.

“The complete lack of public trust in the government and decisions made solely based on political considerations compel us all to rise to the occasion.”

In response to Golan's statements and message, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also used X to write, “We will continue to work with all parts of the opposition, before and behind the scenes, until the disaster government that is destroying the country is overthrown.”

The Knesset began its summer recess on July 22 and is scheduled to reconvene in mid-October, marking the start of the winter session.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in more than 40,500 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,700 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.  

*Writing by Mohammad Sio