On the day Israel's newly elected Knesset began its term, a familiar struggle over the country's future took a sharper form. Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief now leading the opposition, answered the outgoing prime minister's appeal for unity by declaring him unfit to govern, while Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a dangerous Iran and of the pressures a nuclear-armed rival might bring. Neither camp holds the sixty-one seats needed to rule, so the question of who will lead has become a question of who can persuade the Arab parties and others to lend their weight. Beneath the arithmetic lies
Eisenkot Calls Netanyahu 'Unfit to Remain in Office' as Israel's New Knesset Opens Amid Coalition Standoff
Unfit to remain in office for even one more minute
Mark
Eisenkot's language was unusually harsh for an opening day. Why does it matter?
Mimi
Because it shuts the door on Netanyahu's unity offer in public. He called the speech divisive and said Netanyahu shouldn't stay in office another minute.
Mark
And Netanyahu's argument was built around Iran?
Mimi
Yes. He warned of international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran and used that to justify a unity government.
Luke
Worth noting that's his forecast of future pressure. The reporting doesn't show any specific pressure yet, or who would apply it.
Mark
What about the numbers?
Mimi
Eisenkot's core bloc has 48 seats, Netanyahu's alliance 53, and 61 is the majority. Nobody is there.
Luke
So Eisenkot's route depends on the 19 Arab-party seats, and the reporting says only that their support could help. Nothing confirms they've agreed to anything.
Mark
And the disagreements?
Mimi
Security and military policy are named as a potential obstacle, though the details aren't given.
Mark
What's the deadline?
Mimi
Herzog gave him the mandate Sunday: 28 days, plus a possible 14-day extension.
Luke
Also, the inquiry and judicial repeal are announced aims of his party. They're not commitments any coalition has accepted.
Il Polso
- Eisenkot has branded caretaker Prime Minister Netanyahu unfit to remain in office, and the new Knesset opened under open accusations.
- Netanyahu's renewed call for a national unity government, framed around Iran, has sharpened the standoff.
- Neither bloc holds the 61 seats needed, leaving Eisenkot's 48 dependent on the 19 Israeli-Arab party seats.
- President Herzog's mandate gives Eisenkot 28 days, extendable by 14, and the clock is already ticking.
- Yashar is pushing for an October 7 inquiry and a repeal of the judicial overhaul, while Netanyahu resists both.
- The outcome now hinges on whether Arab parties will back a government that could end Netanyahu's tenure.
On the day Israel's newly elected Knesset began its term, a familiar struggle over the country's future took a sharper form. Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief now leading the opposition, answered the outgoing prime minister's appeal for unity by declaring him unfit to govern, while Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a dangerous Iran and of the pressures a nuclear-armed rival might bring. Neither camp holds the sixty-one seats needed to rule, so the question of who will lead has become a question of who can persuade the Arab parties and others to lend their weight. Beneath the arithmetic lies an old human dilemma: whether a nation in danger is better served by unity under a familiar hand or by change that its critics believe is overdue.
On Tuesday, the day Israel's newly elected Knesset opened, Gadi Eisenkot listened to the outgoing prime minister's address and answered it without softening his words. He called Benjamin Netanyahu's speech delusional, divisive and shameful, saying it had exploited a state occasion, and declared that Netanyahu was unfit to stay in office even one more minute.
Eisenkot is now working to assemble a coalition that would replace the caretaker government. He is calling on lawmakers to form a national emergency government, arguing that Israel needs new leadership in a time of serious security threats.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu had made his own appeal for a national unity government, warning that Israel would soon face international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran. Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, has overseen two major bombing campaigns since last year with American support.
The numbers explain why both men are pursuing coalitions. A majority requires 61 of 120 seats, and neither side has it. Eisenkot's bloc holds 48, while Netanyahu's wider alliance holds 53. The 19 seats of the Israeli-Arab parties could be decisive, though disagreements over security policy remain an obstacle.
The clock is running. President Isaac Herzog gave Eisenkot the first mandate on Sunday, with 28 days to secure support and a possible 14-day extension. Meanwhile, Eisenkot's Yashar party is pressing for a commission of inquiry into the failures that allowed Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, and for a sweeping repeal of the judicial overhaul that sparked some of Israel's largest protests. The next several weeks will show which of the two rival visions prevails.
On Tuesday, the day Israel's newly elected Knesset opened its term, Gadi Eisenkot sat and listened to the outgoing prime minister speak, then answered him in terms that left little room for compromise. The former military chief called Benjamin Netanyahu's address delusional, divisive, hate-filled and shameful, and said it had exploited a state occasion. He added that the speech had made him even more convinced Netanyahu was unfit to remain in office for one more minute.
Eisenkot is now trying to assemble a coalition that would replace the caretaker prime minister. He used his response to call on lawmakers to form a national emergency government, arguing that Israel needs different political leadership at a time of heightened security challenges. He accused Netanyahu of deepening political divisions rather than addressing the country's problems.
Netanyahu had spoken earlier in the day and renewed his own appeal for a national unity government. He pointed to Iran, warning that Israel would soon face international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran and to preserve what he called a terror regime that seeks to annihilate Israel. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has overseen two major bombing campaigns since last year, carried out with American support.
The arithmetic explains why both men are talking about coalitions. The Knesset has 120 members, and a majority requires 61. Neither side has it. Eisenkot's core opposition bloc holds 48 seats, while Netanyahu's wider alliance holds 53. Eisenkot will need backing from lawmakers outside his existing coalition.
Israeli-Arab parties, which together hold 19 seats, could be decisive. Their support could carry Eisenkot over the threshold, although disagreements over security and military policy remain a possible obstacle.
The clock is already running. President Isaac Herzog gave Eisenkot the first mandate to form a government on Sunday. He has 28 days to secure the necessary support, with the possibility of a further 14-day extension.
Alongside the coalition talks, Eisenkot's Yashar party has begun pressing for changes to some of Netanyahu's central domestic policies. It has moved to establish a commission of inquiry into the security and intelligence failures that allowed Hamas to carry out its October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest day in the country's history. Netanyahu has resisted calls for an independent inquiry, which makes the proposal a pointed one.
The party has also announced plans for a sweeping repeal of Netanyahu's judicial overhaul, which set off some of the largest protests in Israel's history. Opponents feared the changes would weaken judicial independence and the system of checks and balances.
The new parliament thus opens with two rival efforts: Netanyahu's call for unity under his leadership and Eisenkot's attempt to build a majority that ends his tenure. The next four to six weeks, and the choices of the Arab parties in particular, will show which one gets there.
Citazioni salienti
I am now even more convinced that he is unfit to remain in office for even one more minute.— Gadi Eisenkot, on Netanyahu
In the very near future, we're going to be confronted by international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran.— Benjamin Netanyahu
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