On a quiet Saturday, Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again extended his hand toward his rival Gadi Eisenkot, pleading for a national unity government as the threat from Iran looms over the nation. The election of October 27 left the country divided, with neither camp commanding a Knesset majority and Arab-led parties holding a record bloc of seats that both leaders seem unwilling to embrace. Eisenkot, a former army chief now tasked with forming a government, answered that the offer was a familiar maneuver and not a sincere opening. The episode belongs to a long human
Netanyahu Urges Unity Government as Eisenkot Dismisses Appeal as 'Tricks' Ahead of Knesset Vote
"These tricks don't work on me."
Mark
Netanyahu says he wants to meet without preconditions. Why does Eisenkot wave that away?
Mimi
Because he says talks are already underway, so the appeal looks to him like theatre. He also says Netanyahu knows he lost the election.
Luke
Worth noting that is Eisenkot's reading of Netanyahu's motives. What is on record is the offer, the rebuttal, and the Thursday meeting between them.
Mark
What do the numbers say about who is ahead?
Mimi
Neither bloc has a majority. Netanyahu has 53 seats, Eisenkot 48, Arab-led parties 19. Herzog picked Eisenkot after 67 lawmakers endorsed him against 46 for Netanyahu.
Luke
And those 67 include Arab-led parties, whom Eisenkot says he won't bring into government. So the endorsement and the coalition he is willing to build don't line up.
Mark
How does his minority plan work, then?
Mimi
His 48 vote yes, Netanyahu's 46 vote no, and 26 Arab and ultra-Orthodox lawmakers abstain. That gets approval without an absolute majority.
Luke
It depends on those 26 abstaining, and the reporting doesn't say they have agreed. It says they could.
Mark
And Netanyahu's claim about Iran?
Mimi
He says a unity government could end the Iranian threat and that Tehran would use nuclear weapons. Those are his assertions, and the piece doesn't offer evidence for them.
Luke
Same for the claim that Arab parties stole the election. The source calls it unsubstantiated. Tuesday's speaker vote is the first real count we will get.
Le Pouls
- Netanyahu's video appeal for unity lands like a challenge, framed as urgent security necessity against a backdrop of Iranian threat.
- Eisenkot's swift rebuttal, calling the overture tricks, sharpens a rift that already splits the Knesset into three hostile camps.
- With 28 days on the clock and a possible 14-day extension, Eisenkot is racing to assemble a minority 'national emergency government' that could pass without an absolute majority.
- Arab-led parties, holding 19 seats, sit at the centre of the dispute, excluded by Eisenkot's terms and accused of 'stealing' the vote by Netanyahu's allies.
- Tuesday's Knesset speaker vote, where Netanyahu ally Amir Ohana faces opposition nominee Matan Kahana, will reveal whether the opposition can muster enough strength before coalition deadlines close in.
On a quiet Saturday, Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again extended his hand toward his rival Gadi Eisenkot, pleading for a national unity government as the threat from Iran looms over the nation. The election of October 27 left the country divided, with neither camp commanding a Knesset majority and Arab-led parties holding a record bloc of seats that both leaders seem unwilling to embrace. Eisenkot, a former army chief now tasked with forming a government, answered that the offer was a familiar maneuver and not a sincere opening. The episode belongs to a long human pattern in which power, once fractured, must either find a shared room or be left to the slow arithmetic of deadlines.
On Saturday, Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video renewing his call for a national unity government with his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot. He said their Thursday meeting had only deepened his conviction that such a government is essential, and that only unity could guarantee the country's security against Iran, which he warned would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons. His offer, he said, was an open door, without preconditions.
Eisenkot, a former army chief, replied within minutes. Netanyahu knows he lost the election, he said, and the negotiations he now invites were already underway. These tricks, he added, do not work on him.
The October 27 election left the 120-seat Knesset without a majority. Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc holds 53 seats, Eisenkot's bloc 48, and Arab-led parties won a record 19. President Herzog gave Eisenkot the mandate last week, and he now has 28 days, extendable by 14, to build a coalition. He has ruled out Arab-led parties and proposed a minority "national emergency government" that could pass if the Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties abstain. Netanyahu has warned that such a government would bring Israel's collapse.
The two men disagree about who belongs in a unity government. Netanyahu wants centre and right Jewish parties and has accused Arab-led parties of having "stolen" the election, a claim the reporting describes as unsubstantiated. Eisenkot called that campaign racist, while saying he could work with figures from Likud and Smotrich's Religious Zionism if their commitment to unity is sincere, and insisting on a break with extremists tied to Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The next test arrives Tuesday, when the Knesset chooses its speaker. Amir Ohana holds the post for Netanyahu's side, and the opposition has put forward Matan Kahana, a former military officer, to replace him. The vote will show how much strength each camp can command as the coalition clock runs down.
On Saturday, Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement renewing his call for a national unity government with his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot. He said their meeting on Thursday had only strengthened his conviction that such a government is essential, and that only a unity government can guarantee Israel's security.
Netanyahu argued that a government of that kind could eliminate the Iranian threat once and for all. He claimed Tehran would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against Israel. His offer was framed as an open door: let us meet in one room, he said, without preconditions.
Eisenkot, a former army chief, answered within minutes. He said Netanyahu knows he lost the election. Netanyahu, he said, was calling for negotiations that were already underway, and he added that these tricks do not work on him.
The arithmetic behind the exchange comes from the October 27 election, which gave neither side a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc won 53 seats. Eisenkot's four-party bloc won 48. Arab-led parties won a record 19.
President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming a government last week, after 67 lawmakers endorsed him. That number included lawmakers from Arab-led parties. Netanyahu was backed by 46. Eisenkot now has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to assemble a coalition. He has ruled out including Arab-led parties in his government.
His plan is a minority "national emergency government." His bloc's 48 lawmakers would vote in favour and the 46 Netanyahu supporters would vote against. The 26 lawmakers from Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties could abstain, which would allow approval without an absolute majority in the Knesset. Netanyahu has warned that such a government would lead to Israel's collapse.
The two men also differ on who would sit in a unity government. Netanyahu's version would draw in Jewish parties from the centre and the right and exclude Arab parties. He and his allies have claimed that Arab-led parties "stole" the election, a claim the reporting describes as unsubstantiated. On Friday, Eisenkot called Netanyahu's campaign against those parties racist.
Eisenkot has said he could work with members of Netanyahu's Likud and with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism, provided their commitment to unity is sincere. He insists on a break with the extremists, notably supporters of far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The next test comes Tuesday, when the Knesset elects its speaker. The post is held by Netanyahu ally Amir Ohana, and the opposition has nominated Matan Kahana, a former military officer, to replace him. The result will show how much strength each side can muster before the coalition clock runs down.
Citations marquantes
Netanyahu is calling for negotiations while they are already underway. These tricks don't work on me.— Gadi Eisenkot
Let's meet in one room, without preconditions.— Benjamin Netanyahu
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