Israeli Politicsupdated 10m ago2 min read
Archive photoBenjamin Netanyahu Calls for Unity Government, Accuses Ra’am and Joint List of Seeking Israel’s Destruction
3 Israeli3 OtherPhoto: Shlomo Spitzer (שלמה שפיצר), CC BY 2.5 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Netanyahu calls for a unity government including opposition parties under his leadership. He accuses Ra'am and Joint List of seeking Israel’s destruction.
Save coverage image
Netanyahu targets Arab parties
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the newly sworn-in Knesset to call again for a national unity government while attacking the Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List, accusing both of seeking Israel’s destruction. Netanyahu warned his political rivals against relying on Arab lawmakers, asking, "Are you prepared to depend on people whose goal is the destruction of the Jewish state?"
Netanyahu also rejected a distinction between Ra’am, which has expressed willingness to join an Eisenkot-led coalition, and the Joint List, claiming, "The only difference is that they disagree over what kind of state should be established here on the ruins of the Jewish state." The Times of Israel said Eisenkot sought to translate the anti-Netanyahu bloc’s 67-seat parliamentary majority into a governing coalition, with cooperation with Arab parties emerging as a central point of contention among prospective partners.
Protests and walkouts
Right-wing protesters demonstrated outside the Knesset against the possibility of the Gadi Eisenkot-led political bloc establishing a government with the support of Arab-led parties, with armed Border Police officers separating the demonstration from the access road. One demonstrator, Moshe from the town of Matan, warned, "There will be a civil war here if it happens, no question."
Democrats chairman Yair Golan urged his partners in the anti-Netanyahu bloc not to rule out including Arab parties, saying, "Do not rule out the Arab parties, and do not rule out the Arab public," at a press briefing ahead of his faction’s meeting on the inaugural day of the 26th Knesset. In the Knesset’s Chagall Hall, Netanyahu’s remarks triggered interruptions and disruptions, as ynetglobal reported that Democrats chairman Yair Golan walked out in protest and Gilad Kariv was removed from the hall.
Coalition timeline and risks
Netanyahu released a video statement in which he said, "I don’t rule anyone out, and no one else should be ruling others out," while arguing that a unity government was needed to face the challenges in front of Israel. The Times of Israel reported that President Isaac Herzog awarded the mandate to form a government to Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot, and Netanyahu said he was ready to immediately enter talks with any party willing to discuss his proposal.
Netanyahu also insisted that any unity government would have to include all the parties in the national camp, including the haredi parties and all other Zionist parties, while he reiterated that "It is impossible to create a government with Hamas supporters" and that it was impossible to fight Iran if the government depended on radical Islam. The Times of Israel said Netanyahu framed the stakes as time and damage, with Golan warning that every additional day the outgoing coalition remains in power causes further damage to the country.
