Israeli prime ministerial hopeful Gadi Eisenkot accused caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fueling a racist and violent campaign against Palestinian citizens of Israel during the elections.
On Friday, Eisenkot shared an extensive social media post regarding current events in Israel after receiving the mandate to establish the country’s upcoming administration. He called attempts to marginalize and smear the minority population an anti-state act.
Eisenkot and Netanyahu Fall Short of Parliamentary Majority
Following the October 27 vote, Eisenkot’s four-party coalition captured 48 seats, whereas Netanyahu’s religious and right-wing bloc obtained 53, with neither achieving the 61 seats required to secure a parliamentary majority. Arab-led parties, representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, won a record 19 seats.
The caretaker prime minister repeatedly brought up unsubstantiated claims of vote rigging involving Arab-majority factions—assertions that were dismissed by Israel’s electoral bodies.
The outgoing premier has also frequently blamed Arab-led factions for declining to label Hamas a “terror group” after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, even though the leaders of every single one of those parties denounced the Hamas-led offensive.
The Racist Campaign Allegations
“Arab citizens of Israel make up 21 percent of the total population. Since the start of the election campaign, they have faced a racist and violent campaign of delegitimisation fuelled by the outgoing prime minister and his circle for political reasons,” Eisenkot wrote on X.
“Arab citizens of Israel are part of the Israeli story. The attempt to marginalise them and smear them as a group is an anti-state act,” he said.
“The prime minister of Israel is the prime minister of all citizens, including those who did not vote for him,” he said.
“One can disagree with the representatives of the Arab parties, and one can even feel deep revulsion toward some of them, but one cannot, should not, and I will not allow an entire sector to be slandered,” Eisenkot said.
Eisenkot Seeks Ultra-Orthodox Support to Form Government
Arab-led parties have endorsed Eisenkot to replace Netanyahu. Yet, Eisenkot has dismissed the possibility of building a coalition alongside those factions, which would otherwise secure him a total of 67 seats. Securing the support of Shas and United Torah Judaism, the two ultra-Orthodox parties, would secure him precisely 61 seats.
Eisenkot reiterated that he wants to fulfil the mandate as soon as possible, adding “it would be a grave mistake not to do so”. Netanyahu may be politically weakened, but the prime minister is reported to be weighing military action against Iran, despite a lack of enthusiasm from the United States, his own military establishment, and Eisenkot, who has demanded that Netanyahu avoid any new escalation unless it is critical.
Within his Friday update, Eisenkot said that a meeting took place on Thursday with Netanyahu alongside his military secretary to review security conditions, though he offered no specifics. Earlier in the week, Eisenkot said that he was open to including Netanyahu in his coalition. Eisenkot suggested Netanyahu’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was also welcome to join.
