Israeli prime ministerial hopeful Gadi Eisenkot has dismissed caretaker Premier Benjamin Netanyahu's appeal for a unity government as mere political spin, asserting that the outgoing leader is relying on tactics to block a new administration.
Commenting on Netanyahu's public overtures, the Yashar party leader and former army chief stated on Saturday that negotiating teams from Yashar and Likud were already scheduled to meet the following day. He criticized Netanyahu for calling for talks while negotiations were already underway, accusing him of claiming to want unity while sowing division and stoking tensions, adding that the caretaker premier knows he lost the election.
Eisenkot emphasized that such tricks would not work on him and outlined his conditions for establishing an emergency government under his leadership. He specified that any coalition must recognize the core principles he set out and enforce a complete separation from extremists, alleging that Netanyahu is fighting a rearguard battle to impede coalition building.
President Isaac Herzog granted Eisenkot the mandate to assemble a government on November 8, following the October 27 elections. Eisenkot secured the recommendation of 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset, whereas 46 backed Netanyahu and seven United Torah Judaism lawmakers recommended neither candidate. Eisenkot has a 28-day window to form a government, with the potential for a 14-day extension.
The political friction coincides with escalating criticism of the government's stance toward Arab citizens, who account for over one-fifth of Israel's population. On Friday, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of driving a racist and hostile campaign intended to delegitimise Arab citizens.
In a separate statement on Saturday, opposition leader Yair Golan, who heads The Democrats party, condemned Netanyahu's leadership following a lethal grenade attack in the northern Galilee town of Kafr Manda. Writing on X, Golan stated that the attack highlighted the government's policy of neglect, claiming Netanyahu effectively abandoned Arab communities to criminal networks by appointing Itamar Ben-Gvir as national security minister.
The grenade strike, which hit a sweets shop in a busy commercial area of Kafr Manda, killed 51-year-old Lina Qassem Zidan and injured three others, two of them moderately. Reports indicated that an initial assessment pointed to attackers seeking a specific person by targeting a store owned by his relative.
Zidan's death brought the recorded homicide toll in Arab communities to 200 victims this year, including 20 women. Local residents noted that homes and commercial establishments have faced a wave of shootings and grenade strikes over the past month, with no arrests publicly announced by authorities.
