Netanyahu warns coalition with Arab parties could undermine Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu said a government reliant on Islamist parties would dismantle Israel, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot seeks a coalition that may include ultra-Orthodox and Arab-majority parties.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a coalition dependent on Islamist parties would "dismantle the State of Israel from within," likening the scenario to developments in some European countries. The remarks came as President Isaac Herzog prepared to designate a lawmaker to form the next government after the October 27 election left both major blocs without a majority.
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief, has signaled openness to an alliance with ultra-Orthodox parties and the moderate Islamist Raam party, whose leader has recognized Israel as a Jewish state. Eisenkot’s bloc could also receive external support from the Arab-majority Joint List, potentially giving him the numbers needed to command a governing coalition.
Herzog, after consulting all parties, indicated that Eisenkot, who enjoys the backing of factions representing 67 lawmakers compared with 46 for Netanyahu’s bloc, might be the logical choice to receive the mandate to form a government. The president also suggested exploring a national-unity arrangement that would bring together Jewish Israelis from both camps.
Netanyahu reiterated his support for a national-unity government that would include all Zionist parties committed to safeguarding the Jewish character of the state, but stopped short of claiming he would lead such a coalition.
In response, Eisenkot’s Yashar party urged Likud and its allies to join a unity government led by Eisenkot, calling on them to publicly announce a break with extremist elements.
"Such a government, dependent on Islamists, will dismantle the State of Israel from within, as is happening in European countries, and far worse than that," Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded speech.