Eisenkot cancels planned talks with Likud over Netanyahu’s ‘divisive’ remarks

• Eisenkot has accused Netanyahu of deepening political divisions despite calling for national unity.
• The opposition leader is seeking to form a government without Netanyahu.
• Arab-led parties could prove decisive in determining whether Eisenkot can secure a parliamentary majority.

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party has cancelled a planned meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party on Wednesday, accusing the ‘Israeli’ prime minister of undermining political unity with a “divisive” speech to the newly sworn-in Knesset, according to i24NEWS.

The decision comes amid efforts to form Israel’s next government following the Oct. 27 election, which ended Netanyahu’s parliamentary majority but left neither his Likud-led bloc nor the opposition with a clear path to securing the 61 seats needed to govern.

Eisenkot, a former military chief who leads Yashar, was tasked by ‘Israeli’ President Isaac Herzog on Nov. 8 with forming the next government after receiving recommendations from 67 lawmakers, compared with 46 for Netanyahu.

The cancellation highlights the growing tensions between the two political camps as Eisenkot attempts to assemble a coalition and end Netanyahu’s lengthy hold on power.

Netanyahu has called for a national unity government, urging political rivals to put aside their differences. However, Yashar previously accused him of hypocrisy, arguing that he had spent years deepening divisions within Israeli society and undermining previous unity governments.

On Nov. 7, the party said Likud and its allies would be welcome to join an Eisenkot-led government if they publicly broke their alliance with far-right parties and accepted his political principles. The proposal did not extend to Netanyahu himself, whom Eisenkot has repeatedly said should leave public life over his leadership during Oct. 7, 2023.

Read more: Eisenkot condemns Netanyahu’s 'hate-filled speech,' declares him unfit for office