Israeli prime ministerial contender Gadi Eisenkot launched a direct attack on caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, accusing him of driving a "racist" political effort targeted at the country's Arab minority. Eisenkot's remarks followed Netanyahu's attempts to delegitimise Arab parliamentarians by attempting to link them to Hamas.
The statement represents a rare public defence of Arab Israelis by a major Jewish political figure. Arab citizens make up more than 20 percent of Israel's population. In last month's national election, two Arab-majority parties—Ra'am and the Joint List—won a combined total of 19 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Controlling nearly a sixth of the legislature, these parties have emerged as prospective kingmakers while Eisenkot works to build a governing coalition.
Writing on social media platform X on Friday, Eisenkot firmly defended the community's standing. "Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story," Eisenkot stated. He further wrote that Arab citizens "have been subjected to a racist and aggressive campaign of delegitimisation, fuelled by the outgoing prime minister and those around him for political purposes," adding that "the attempt to marginalise them and vilify them collectively is a profound violation of the principles of civic responsibility."
Netanyahu and his political allies have frequently targeted Arab party leaders, criticising them for declining to explicitly label Hamas as a "terror group" following the group's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. However, all Arab party leaders have publicly condemned the attack. Arab Israelis, who are descendants of Palestinians who remained in what became Israel in 1948, were also among those killed in the 7 October assault.
Netanyahu has also repeatedly claimed that electoral fraud occurred involving Arab-majority parties, though Israeli electoral authorities officially dismissed those allegations. In a recent speech, the caretaker prime minister lamented that neither of the two Arab lists recognized Israel as a Jewish state, despite Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas having previously done so. Netanyahu claimed further that the Arab parties aim to create either an "Islamic state" or a "nationalist Palestinian state."
Political tensions escalated further during a parliamentary oath of allegiance ceremony, where National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir heckled Yousef Jabareen, the leader of the Joint List. Ben Gvir publicly accused Jabareen of having "pledged allegiance to Hamas." Addressing these confrontations, Eisenkot emphasized that while political disagreement is normal, broad attacks against Arab citizens are unacceptable. "It is entirely legitimate 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 I will not allow it," Eisenkot said.
The dispute comes after President Isaac Herzog officially tasked Eisenkot on Sunday with forming a new government. Herzog made the decision after post-election consultations where a majority of political parties, including both Ra'am and the Joint List, recommended Eisenkot for the role. However, Eisenkot faces significant coalition hurdles, as rightwing ally Avigdor Lieberman announced he will withdraw from coalition negotiations if Arab Israelis are included in the government.
Under Israeli parliamentary rules, Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a governing majority. If he is unable to finalize a coalition within that timeframe, he can request a 14-day extension from the president. Should Eisenkot ultimately fail to secure a majority, the presidential mandate to form a government will pass to another lawmaker, with Netanyahu seen as the most likely recipient.
