Netanyahu urges Israeli unity government, Eisenkot calls it a trick

Israel's caretaker prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, renewed his call on Saturday for a national unity government with Gadi Eisenkot, the former army chief now negotiating to replace him. Eisenkot rejected the appeal the same day and accused Netanyahu of playing tricks.

Netanyahu said a meeting with Eisenkot on Thursday "only strengthened the conviction that it is essential to form a national unity government" to guarantee Israel's security. In a video statement he said such a government could "eliminate the Iranian threat once and for all", and claimed Iran "would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against us". He said it would take in parties that recognise Israel "as a state for the Jewish people".

Eisenkot was tapped on Sunday to form a government and has 28 days to do so, with a possible 14-day extension, France 24 reported. Netanyahu warned against Eisenkot's plan for a minority administration, presented as a "national emergency government". Under that plan, the 48 lawmakers in Eisenkot's bloc would vote for his government and the 46 who back Netanyahu against it, while 26 members from Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties could abstain. That would let the government be approved in the 120-seat Knesset without an absolute majority.

Netanyahu urged Eisenkot to meet "in one room, without preconditions" rather than form what he called a weak and dangerous government.

Minutes later Eisenkot said Netanyahu "knows he lost the election" and was calling for negotiations while they were already under way. "These tricks don't work on me," he said, accusing Netanyahu of sowing division. Anadolu Agency, which described Eisenkot as leader of the Yashar party, reported that coalition talks were already scheduled for Sunday.

Eisenkot has said he would work with members of Netanyahu's Likud and with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism if their commitment to unity was "sincere", but a partnership with Netanyahu himself remains unlikely, France 24 reported. He has demanded a "break with the extremists", naming supporters of the far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and on Friday denounced Netanyahu's "racist" campaign against Arab parties.

A test comes on Tuesday with the election of the Knesset speaker. The post is held by Amir Ohana, a close Netanyahu ally; the opposition has put forward Matan Kahana, a former army officer who was fifth on Eisenkot's list. Eisenkot said Likud and its allies must instruct their members of parliament to support Kahana if they genuinely want a political partnership.