Eisenkot open to Netanyahu joining Israel’s next government

Israel’s opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has said he is open to including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his coalition lineup as he attempts to form the country’s next government. Speaking at a ceremony in President Isaac Herzog’s office in Jerusalem on Sunday, Eisenkot suggested that Netanyahu’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was also welcome to join the new administration.

Eisenkot, who ran as Netanyahu’s main rival, has six weeks to form a new government. He stated that if members of Likud and the Religious Zionist Party believe in unity, they should support a government under his leadership. He led Israel’s military from 2015 to 2019 and sat as an observer in Netanyahu’s war cabinet during the early months of the war on Gaza.

President Herzog warned that the country faces uncertainties following the November 3 midterm elections in the United States, which brought victories for several political figures critical of Israel and US military support. Herzog emphasized that Israel needs a stable government to navigate this new political reality in Washington.

Eisenkot’s four-party alliance won 48 seats in the October 27 elections, while Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53. Although Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government with Arab-led parties, winning over the two ultra-Orthodox parties would give him exactly 61 seats. He could also form a government with fewer than 61 seats if he wins a parliamentary confidence vote.

Read the full story at aljazeera.com.