Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with forming Israel’s next government, publicly accused caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating a discriminatory political campaign targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel during the election period.
Eisenkot noted that Arab citizens constitute approximately 21 percent of Israel’s population and have encountered what he characterized as delegitimizing rhetoric fueled by Netanyahu and his associates. He stated that Israel’s prime minister serves all citizens regardless of voting patterns and cautioned against efforts to marginalize or defame groups within the population. Eisenkot emphasized that such actions constitute threats to the nation’s foundational principles.
The comments follow Israel’s October 27 elections, where Eisenkot’s four-party coalition secured 48 seats while Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc won 53 seats, both falling short of the 61-seat majority required to govern. Arab-led parties achieved a record 19 seats. Netanyahu has made unsubstantiated claims of electoral irregularities by Arab-majority parties, allegations that Israel’s electoral authorities have rejected. The caretaker leader has also repeatedly criticized Arab-led parties for declining to classify Hamas as a terror organization, though party leaders have condemned the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Arb-led parties have publicly endorsed Eisenkot to replace Netanyahu, though Eisenkot has declined to include them in his coalition. He is instead pursuing support from ultra-Orthodox parties to reach the necessary 61 seats. Eisenkot, who previously served as Israel’s military chief from 2015 to 2019, has six weeks to complete government formation. He has also expressed opposition to military escalation with Iran unless circumstances prove critical.
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