Netanyahu says only a unity government can guarantee Israel’s security

Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has renewed his call for a national unity government with his rival, Gadi Eisenkot, saying only such a government can guarantee Israel’s security.

In a video statement on Saturday, Netanyahu said a meeting with Eisenkot on Thursday “only strengthened the conviction that it is essential to form a national unity government”.

The prime minister said such a government could “eliminate the Iranian threat once and for all”, claiming Tehran would “not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against us”.

“Let’s meet in one room, without preconditions,” he said.

Within minutes, however, Eisenkot dismissed the appeal as a ploy.

A former army chief, Eisenkot said Netanyahu “knows he lost the election”.

“Netanyahu is calling for negotiations while they are already underway,” he said. “These tricks don’t work on me.”

Who has the numbers?

Neither side won a majority in the October 27 election. Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc took 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, Eisenkot’s four-party bloc got 48 seats, and Arab-led parties won a record 19.

President Isaac Herzog last week tasked Eisenkot with forming a government, after 67 lawmakers, including those from Arab-led parties, endorsed him, while 46 backed Netanyahu.

Eisenkot has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension. He has ruled out including Arab-led parties in his government.

Under Eisenkot’s plan for a minority “national emergency government”, his bloc’s 48 lawmakers would vote in favour against the 46 Netanyahu supporters, while the 26 lawmakers from Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties could abstain. It would allow his government to be approved without an absolute majority in the Knesset.

Netanyahu has warned that such a government would lead to Israel’s “collapse”.

Points of contention

Netanyahu’s version would include Jewish parties from the centre and the right and exclude Arab parties. He and his allies have made unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties “stole” the election.

On Friday, Eisenkot called Netanyahu’s campaign against them “racist”.

Eisenkot has said he could work with members of Netanyahu’s Likud party and with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism if their commitment to unity is “sincere”, but he insisted on a “break with the extremists”, notably supporters of far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The Knesset will elect its speaker on Tuesday. The post is currently held by Netanyahu ally Amir Ohana, and the opposition has put forward Matan Kahana, a former military officer, in his place.