Eisenkot warns Netanyahu against ‘dangerous moves’

• Gadi Eisenkot has urged outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise restraint in making security-related decisions.
• Eisenkot said recent reports raised concerns about “extraneous considerations” influencing ‘Israel’s’ national security decision-making.

Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of ‘Israel's’ Yashar party who was recently tasked with forming the country's next government, has urged outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise restraint in security-related decisions, warning that deploying security forces without an immediate threat could undermine “Israeli democracy” and public trust in state institutions. 

In a statement published Wednesday evening, Eisenkot said “deeply troubling reports” had emerged in recent weeks about the intrusion of “extraneous considerations” into ‘Israel’s’ national security decision-making.

He said he had directly addressed Netanyahu over his security and national responsibilities during what he described as a “challenging and volatile security reality.”

In a letter to Netanyahu, Eisenkot called on the outgoing premier to demonstrate national responsibility and avoid taking potentially dangerous decisions that could be postponed until a new government receives the confidence of the Knesset and is sworn into office.

“I demand that you act with national responsibility,” Eisenkot wrote, urging Netanyahu to exercise “restraint and caution against dangerous moves that can wait until a new government” takes office.

He also warned against undermining public confidence in government institutions and the decision-making process, arguing that deploying security forces without a direct and immediate threat could have serious consequences.

“Deploying the security forces without a direct and immediate threat that brooks no delay could have devastating consequences for Israeli democracy and citizens’ trust in the institutions of government,” he said.

Eisenkot further cautioned Netanyahu against placing the heads of ‘Israel's’ security agencies in a difficult constitutional position or leaving them uncertain about their responsibilities and the appropriate course of action.

He called on the prime minister to allow security officials to carry out their duties without political or institutional interference.

“Allow them to uphold, without doubt, the sacred duty entrusted to them,” Eisenkot wrote.

Eisenkot's warning comes amid a political transition in ‘Israel’, following his party's emergence as a central player in efforts to form the country's next government. Having received the mandate to assemble a coalition, Eisenkot is seeking to replace Netanyahu, whose government is approaching the end of its tenure.

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