'Eradicate Iran threat' — only parties recognizing Jewish state invited; new elections likely next year if coalition talks fail

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [Getty Images]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [Getty Images]

Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly called on Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot — who holds the mandate to form the next government — to build a unity government, while effectively excluding Arab parties by insisting the coalition consist only of parties that recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

According to AFP, Netanyahu said in a video statement Saturday that his meeting with Eisenkot on Thursday had "further strengthened" his conviction that forming a "national unity government is essential" for Israel's security. He said such a government "would be able to eradicate the Iranian threat once and for all," adding that it would be composed of parties that recognize Israel as a "Jewish state." Netanyahu had briefed Eisenkot on Thursday, at Eisenkot's request, on the security and diplomatic challenges facing Israel.

In last month's election, Netanyahu's Likud party retained its position as the largest party but fell short of a majority. Eisenkot secured the government-formation mandate with the support of Arab parties. Having received the formal mandate from President Isaac Herzog on Nov. 8, Eisenkot has up to 42 days to complete coalition negotiations. If he fails, new elections could be held early next year.

Netanyahu's repeated invocation of the Iranian threat is widely seen as an attempt to elevate security as the top issue and underscore his own political indispensability. A hard line on Iran has long been the cornerstone of his political legitimacy. His remarks effectively sidelining Arab parties are also interpreted as a bid to peel away centrist and right-wing figures uncomfortable with an Arab-party alliance.

AFP assessed, however, that the prospect of Eisenkot forming a unity government with Netanyahu appears slim. Eisenkot on Friday denounced Netanyahu's attacks on Arab parties as "racist" and distanced himself from the former prime minister. There is also the concern that compromising with Netanyahu would undermine the very meaning of a change in government.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Sunday it had struck a senior Hamas commander. Hamas sources told Reuters that the strike killed Samir Abu Yunis, a senior commander of Hamas's armed wing, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Abu Yunis, 53, had been a member of Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades since 1991 and commanded the organization in the southern city of Rafah.


andy@heraldcorp.com