The latest:
Dimona Mayor Beni Bitton, a Netanyahu confidant, told Kan News on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a national unity government, and that President Isaac Herzog and US President Donald Trump could serve as guarantors to reassure Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot’s camp that such a coalition would hold. Bitton said he spoke with Herzog on Saturday.
Details:
- The guarantee pitch: Bitton said he trusts Israel’s president to underwrite a unity deal, and that anyone who does not trust Herzog can instead rely on the US president, whom he described as the leader of the world’s greatest superpower. He said he raised the matter with Herzog on Saturday.
- The red line: Bitton warned that an opposition attempt to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana before a coalition is formed would amount to a declaration of war. Agreeing on a speaker by mutual consent poses no problem, he said, but unilateral parliamentary moves would cross a red line.
- Likud’s warning: Likud informed opposition bloc members that any move to replace Ohana, a Likud member, with Arab party backing would undermine the prospect of a future national unity government, according to reports cited by The Jerusalem Post.
- The numbers: Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats in the incoming Knesset and the opposition bloc 48, short of the 61 required for a majority. Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List took a combined record of 19 seats, which would give Eisenkot 67 backers.
- Likud’s standing: Likud lost roughly a sixth of its seats and Netanyahu’s hardline coalition fell further, yet Likud remained the largest single party with 27 seats, The New York Times reported. Netanyahu, 77, would need 61 seats to stay in power.
- Two paths: To rebuild a majority, Netanyahu would have to peel off at least eight defectors from the bloc pledged to remove him, or form a unity government with Yashar, the largest party in the anti-Netanyahu camp, The New York Times reported.
- Eisenkot’s terms: Eisenkot set out four principles on Saturday for joining his proposed coalition, saying any Knesset member accepting them could be a partner. He called for a broad Zionist government aligned on Israel’s character, national service obligations, and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza.
- The Arab-party obstacle: A senior Joint List official told Walla that the Joint List and Ra’am are expected to recommend Eisenkot for prime minister. But Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman have ruled out Arab parties as coalition partners after the October 7, 2023 attack.
- Herzog’s appeal: Herzog urged leaders on Sunday to accept the election results and show flexibility, warning that political entrenchment could force another vote. He said he would receive official results Wednesday from Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg before opening consultations.
- The trust deficit: Netanyahu’s 2020 power-sharing government with Benny Gantz collapsed after seven months over broken agreements, The New York Times noted. Reichman University professor Gadi Wolfsfeld assessed that joining Netanyahu now would be political suicide for any partner.
Background:
Netanyahu formed his current hardline coalition four years ago after mainstream parties refused to sit with him following his 2019 corruption indictment, which he denies. Eisenkot joined his emergency war cabinet after October 7, then founded Yashar to unseat him, saying Netanyahu is unfit for office.
Between the lines:
Bitton’s warning and Likud’s message converge on one calculation: the speakership vote on or after November 10 tests whether the opposition will use Arab-party votes, and doing so would hand Netanyahu a justification for refusing unity talks. Analysts cited by The New York Times assessed that Netanyahu may prefer deadlock, betting a second election improves his position.
What’s next
Herzog opens consultations Wednesday and is expected to task Eisenkot first, giving him 28 days plus a possible 14-day extension. Knesset members are sworn in November 10, when the opposition plans to move against Ohana.
