Eisenkot offers Arab lawmakers a role in his government, subject to conditions
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Expresso das Ilhas
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Israeli Yashar! party and opposition leader, said he was ready to include Arab lawmakers in his government if they accepted his four political principles. The offer follows the legislative elections, won by Likud with 27 seats, while his coalition secured 53, according to results from Israel’s Central Elections Committee.
Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said on Saturday that Arab lawmakers could support the government he is seeking to form, provided they accept four fundamental principles, Expresso das Ilhas reports. The leader of the Yashar! party, which came second in the legislative elections behind Likud, said any elected representative who met these conditions would be considered a potential partner.
The principles include recognising Israel as a Jewish, democratic, liberal and egalitarian state; adhering to the values of the Declaration of Independence; requiring all citizens — including Arabs and Christians — to perform military, national or civilian service; and recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation and destroying its military and governing capabilities in Gaza, according to Eisenkot.
The final results gave Likud 27 seats and its coalition 53, compared with 21 for Yashar!. The anti-Netanyahu bloc has 48 lawmakers and is expected to receive the support of Arab lists, which hold a total of 19 seats, to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority to form a government. Eisenkot also wants the new Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to establish a commission of inquiry into Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks, Expresso das Ilhas reports.
Gadi Eisenkot’s overture comes after Netanyahu rejected a coalition backed by Arab parties, announced on 29 October, and while the Israeli opposition had yet to reach an agreement to replace him on 1 November.
