Gadi Eisenkot Open to Including Netanyahu in Israel's Next Government, Signals Inclusivity

Israel's opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked by President Isaac Herzog with forming the country's next government, has indicated a willingness to include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his potential coalition. Speaking at a ceremony in Herzog's Jerusalem office on Sunday, Eisenkot also suggested that Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu's far-right Finance Minister, could be part of the new government.

"If members of Likud and the Religious Zionist Party truly believe this is a time for unity, as they told the president, I cannot conceive of any reason why they would not support a government under my leadership and the principles I have presented," Eisenkot stated. Eisenkot, who was Netanyahu's primary rival in the recent elections, has a six-week window to assemble a new government. He pledged to act in the public's interest and represent all segments of Israeli society.

President Herzog emphasized the need for a stable government, particularly in light of the recent midterm elections in the United States. He noted that the victories of several political figures critical of Israel and US military support have created a "new political reality" and underscored that "The State of Israel needs a stable government."

Eisenkot, a former head of Israel's military from 2015 to 2019 and an observer in Netanyahu's war cabinet during the initial eight months of the war on Gaza, received endorsements from Arab-led parties for the mandate to succeed Netanyahu. In the October 27 elections, Eisenkot's four-party alliance secured 48 seats, while Netanyahu's bloc obtained 53 seats, both falling short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority. Arab-led parties, representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, achieved a record 19 seats.

Eisenkot has previously ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties, which would have provided him with a 67-seat bloc. An alternative path to a majority could involve securing the support of the two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, which would bring his total to exactly 61 seats. He could also potentially form a government with fewer than 61 seats if it successfully passes a parliamentary confidence vote.

Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, commented on the political maneuvering, stating, "Netanyahu still has time to derail Gadi Eisenkot’s efforts to form a government and sabotage attempts to gain a vote of confidence." She added that if Eisenkot fails, Netanyahu would be the next in line to attempt government formation, and failure on his part would lead to new elections, allowing Netanyahu to remain as caretaker prime minister. Odeh suggested that many of Netanyahu's critics believe this is his strategy, raising the central question in Israeli politics: whether the opposition genuinely seeks to remove Netanyahu or if opposition to Palestinian Israelis in mainstream politics is so strong that they risk keeping Netanyahu in power by returning to the polls.