In the wake of a divisive election, a man charged with building Israel's next government has chosen to speak against the way the outgoing prime minister treats the country's Arab citizens, who make up more than a fifth of the population. Gadi Eisenkot names the attacks on Arab-majority parties, which together hold nearly a sixth of parliament, as a collective vilification that no civic conscience should accept, even as he insists that disagreement with particular politicians remains fair. The moment reflects an old tension in Israeli life between a nation's Jewish identity and the belonging of
Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of 'Racist' Campaign Against Israel's Arab Minority
Legitimate to disagree, but not to malign an entire community
Mark
Why does this statement stand out so much?
Mimi
Because Jewish political leaders rarely defend Arab Israelis this forcefully. Eisenkot named the campaign as racist and pointed at Netanyahu directly.
Mark
And the Arab parties matter numerically, right?
Mimi
Ra'am and the Joint List won 19 of 120 seats. They recommended Eisenkot to President Herzog, so they're part of how he got the mandate.
Mark
What is Netanyahu's argument against them?
Mimi
That they won't call Hamas a terror group, that they won't recognise Israel as a Jewish state, and that they seek an Islamic or Palestinian nationalist state.
Luke
Those are his claims, and the reporting treats them unevenly. It notes that all Arab party leaders condemned the 7 October attack, and that Mansour Abbas has recognised Israel as a Jewish state before.
Mark
What about the fraud allegations?
Luke
Electoral authorities rejected them. That one is settled by the source, not just attributed.
Mimi
Then there's the ceremony, where Ben Gvir heckled Yousef Jabareen during his oath.
Mark
Does Eisenkot want the Arab parties in his government?
Luke
The article doesn't say. He defended the community and said disagreement with its representatives is legitimate. It doesn't say he's offering them seats, and it doesn't say what he'd do about Lieberman's threat.
Mimi
The clock is clear though: 28 days, a possible 14-day extension, then the mandate likely goes to Netanyahu.
Il Polso
- A caretaker prime minister's campaign against Arab-majority parties has drawn a public charge of racism from the man now trying to form a government.
- Arab parties holding 19 seats have become kingmakers, turning a moral dispute into a practical bargaining problem.
- Eisenkot is racing a 28-day deadline, with a possible 14-day extension, to assemble a majority.
- His rightwing ally Lieberman has threatened to walk out if Arab Israelis are included, leaving the coalition math fragile and uncertain.
In the wake of a divisive election, a man charged with building Israel's next government has chosen to speak against the way the outgoing prime minister treats the country's Arab citizens, who make up more than a fifth of the population. Gadi Eisenkot names the attacks on Arab-majority parties, which together hold nearly a sixth of parliament, as a collective vilification that no civic conscience should accept, even as he insists that disagreement with particular politicians remains fair. The moment reflects an old tension in Israeli life between a nation's Jewish identity and the belonging of its Arab minority, now sharpened by a war that has left both peoples grieving. What comes next depends on whether a principle spoken from the podium can survive the arithmetic of coalition-building.
On Friday, Gadi Eisenkot posted a statement on X that cut sharply against the current of Israeli politics. The man tasked with forming the country's next government accused the caretaker prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of fuelling a "racist" campaign against Israel's Arab citizens, who make up more than 20 percent of the population.
Eisenkot argued that Arab citizens are an integral part of the Israeli story, and that trying to vilify them collectively is a serious breach of civic responsibility. The attack he was responding to came after Netanyahu sought to tie Arab lawmakers to Hamas, criticising Arab leaders for not calling the group a terror group and repeatedly alleging electoral fraud, claims that electoral authorities rejected. Ra'am and the Joint List together won 19 seats last month, giving them real leverage in forming a coalition.
Eisenkot drew a clear line: it is legitimate to disagree with Arab party representatives, even to strongly oppose some of them, but maligning an entire community is neither legitimate nor acceptable. President Herzog has given him the task of forming a government, but the path is narrow. Lieberman has said he will leave if Arab Israelis are part of the coalition, and Eisenkot has 28 days to prove he can hold his principles and his numbers together. If he fails, the mandate would likely pass to Netanyahu.
On Friday, Gadi Eisenkot posted a statement on X that cut against the grain of Israeli politics. The man tasked with forming the country's next government accused the caretaker prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of fuelling a "racist" campaign against Israel's Arab citizens.
Eisenkot wrote that Arab citizens are an integral part of the Israeli story. He said they have faced a racist and aggressive campaign of delegitimisation, fuelled for political purposes by the outgoing prime minister and those around him. Trying to marginalise and vilify them collectively, he added, is a profound violation of the principles of civic responsibility. The Guardian described the statement as a rare instance of a prominent Jewish political leader taking a strong stand in defence of Arab Israelis, who make up more than 20% of the population.
The statement followed Netanyahu's effort to delegitimise the community's lawmakers by linking them to Hamas. Two Arab-majority parties, Ra'am and the Joint List, won a combined 19 seats in last month's election, nearly a sixth of the 120-seat parliament. That gives them potential kingmaker status as Eisenkot tries to assemble a coalition.
Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly criticised Arab party leaders for refusing to call Hamas a "terror group" since its unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. All Arab party leaders have condemned that attack, and Arab Israelis, the descendants of Palestinians who remained in what became Israel in 1948, were among those killed. Netanyahu has also repeatedly alleged electoral fraud by Arab-majority parties, though electoral authorities have rejected the claims.
In a speech, Netanyahu lamented that the two Arab lists refuse to recognise Israel as a Jewish state, although Ra'am's leader, Mansour Abbas, has done so in the past. He also claimed they seek to establish either an "Islamic state" or a "nationalist Palestinian state." At the same ceremony, national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir heckled Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen during his oath of allegiance, accusing him of having "pledged allegiance to Hamas."
Eisenkot drew a line between criticism and collective condemnation. It is entirely legitimate, he said, to disagree with representatives of the Arab parties, even to strongly disapprove of some of them. But it is neither legitimate nor acceptable to malign an entire community, and he said he would not allow it.
The stakes are practical as well as moral. President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming a government on Sunday, after consultations in which a majority of parties, including the two Arab lists, recommended him. But one of Eisenkot's rightwing allies, Avigdor Lieberman, has said he will leave the coalition if Arab Israelis are part of it.
Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government and may request a 14-day extension. If he still falls short, the mandate would pass to another lawmaker, most likely Netanyahu. Whether Eisenkot can hold Lieberman and the Arab parties in the same arithmetic is the question the coming weeks will answer.
Citazioni salienti
It is neither legitimate nor acceptable to malign an entire community, and I will not allow it.— Gadi Eisenkot
Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story.— Gadi Eisenkot, on X
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