Gadi Eisenkot rules out serving under Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s election
Eisenkot rejected a Netanyahu-led government before the October 27 vote but left open the possibility of a broader unity coalition.
Gadi Eisenkot, Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challenger in Israel’s October 27 election, said on October 21 that he would not serve in a government led by the prime minister, according to AFP. The position narrows one possible route to a governing coalition if neither side wins a majority.
Eisenkot, a former army chief, told radio station 103 FM that he was committed ‘categorically’ to not serving under Netanyahu’s leadership, even in a rotation deal in which the two would share power, AFP reported. He did not rule out a unity government altogether, leaving open the possibility of an agreement on different terms.
Why a unity government is being discussed
Polls cited by AFP project roughly 50 to 52 seats each for Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc and the opposition camp rallying around Eisenkot. A majority requires 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Both camps are therefore projected to fall short of governing alone, although the composition of the next parliament will depend on the October 27 vote.
Eisenkot has questioned Netanyahu’s fitness to serve, particularly over his failure to prevent the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, AFP reported. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, whose party was polling third, has said a government including Netanyahu would not be an issue for him. Their differing positions could matter if coalition negotiations follow an inconclusive election.
How Netanyahu’s trial could affect a rotation deal
Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges, which he denies. AFP reported that Israeli law bars a person facing charges from serving as a minister, while the bar does not apply to the prime minister. That distinction could complicate a rotation arrangement if it required Netanyahu to take a ministerial post while someone else was prime minister.
A poll conducted on October 16 found that 55% of respondents preferred a unity government to another election if the October 27 vote produced no clear winner, AFP reported. In 2020, after three elections in less than a year, Netanyahu and centrist Benny Gantz agreed to rotate the premiership. The government formed under that agreement lasted 13 months.
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Sources and context
- Netanyahu’s main election rival rules out serving under himThe Straits Times (AFP report)
- KnessetKnesset
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.