Netanyahu, Eisenkot hold unity government talks against the backdrop of deepening divisions in Israeli politics.
Negotiation teams representing Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and Gadi Eisenkot is straight! The party is scheduled to meet on Sunday evening to discuss the formation of a national unity government, according to Ata.
The talks come amid deep disagreements about who will lead the coalition, with Eisenkot, tasked by President Yitzhak Herzog to form a government, insisting that he will serve as prime minister and rejecting any power-sharing or rotation agreement with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu called for negotiations of a unity government without preconditions, while Eisenkot dismissed the proposal as a political exercise aimed at undermining efforts to establish an alternative government with ultra-Orthodox support.
The proposed coalition may include allies of Netanyahu's religious Zionism, although Eisenkot ruled out negotiations with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gabir of Otzma Yehudit.
Meanwhile, opposition to Netanyahu remains strong. Avigdor Lieberman's Israel Beitenu party has rejected joining the Likud-led government, with lawmaker Yulia Malinovski comparing negotiations with Netanyahu to dealing with the "Tinder scammer". "She accused him of exploiting calls for unity whenever his political survival was threatened. The legislators are also preparing to vote on Tuesday on the replacement of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana Bisher! Netanyahu's appointment as Kahana may further weaken Netanyahu's parliamentary position.
Separately, Eisenkot reached an agreement with Yair Golan's Democrat Party to establish a parliamentary committee tasked with reversing Netanyahu's controversial judicial overhaul.