Netanyahu renews appeal for Israeli unity government as Eisenkot rejects 'tricks'

Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday repeated his call for a national unity government with Gadi Eisenkot, who brushed the appeal aside as a political ploy. The exchange comes as Eisenkot, tapped for the premiership on Sunday, holds negotiations to form a new administration.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said his meeting with Eisenkot on Thursday "only strengthened the conviction that it is essential to form a national unity government" to guarantee Israel's security. He argued that such a government could "eliminate the Iranian threat once and for all" and would be made up of parties that recognise Israel "as a state for the Jewish people".

Netanyahu said the proposed government would focus on security challenges, above all Iran, which he claimed would "not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against us".

The outgoing prime minister also warned against Eisenkot's plan to assemble a minority government, which has been presented as a "national emergency government". Under that scenario, the 48 lawmakers in Eisenkot's bloc would vote for his government against 46 Netanyahu backers, while the 26 remaining members of parliament from Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties could abstain. That would allow the government to be approved without an absolute majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

"Instead of trying to form a weak and dangerous government.. let's meet in one room, without preconditions, put aside all our disagreements and all the boycotts, and reach agreements for the security and the future of the state," Netanyahu urged.

Eisenkot responded only minutes later, saying Netanyahu "knows he lost the election" and accusing him of playing "tricks" by appealing for unity. "Netanyahu is calling for negotiations while they are already underway; he claims to want unity but.. sows division and stokes tensions as if there were no tomorrow," the former army chief said, adding that "these tricks don't work on me".

Eisenkot was given 28 days to form a government when he was tapped on Sunday, with a possible 14-day extension. The negotiations are expected to be difficult, particularly as Netanyahu has waged a campaign to discredit Arab-Israeli parties, which won a record number of seats in the election. Netanyahu's proposed unity government would bring together key Jewish parties from the centre to the right while excluding the Arab parties.

Eisenkot has signalled openness to governing with members of Netanyahu's Likud party and with outgoing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism, provided their commitment to unity is "sincere". A partnership with Netanyahu himself appears unlikely, however, especially after Eisenkot denounced his "racist" campaign against Arab parties on Friday. On Saturday, Eisenkot again called for a "break with the extremists", notably supporters of far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as a condition for joining a government under his leadership.

A further dispute looms over Tuesday's election of the Knesset speaker, a post currently held by Amir Ohana, a close Netanyahu ally. The opposition has nominated Matan Kahana, a former army officer who was fifth on Eisenkot's list, to replace him. "If they (Likud and its allies) are truly seeking a sincere political partnership, as they claim, they must allow the democratic process to unfold normally.. and instruct their members of parliament to support the appointment of Matan Kahana," Eisenkot said.