JERUSALEM: Israel’s caretaker prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday reiterated his calls for a national unity government with his opponent Gadi Eisenkot, who in turn dismissed the appeal as a ruse.
The latest exchange comes as Eisenkot is in the midst of negotiations to form a government, after he was tapped for the post of premier on Sunday.
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, Netanyahu said in a video statement, adding that such a government could “eliminate the Iranian threat once and for all.”
He said this government would be made up of parties that recognize Israel “as a state for the Jewish people.”
It would address security challenges, he added, most notably Iran which he claimed would “not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against us.”
The outgoing prime minister warned against Eisenkot’s plan to form a minority government, presented as a “national emergency government.”
Such a plan would see the 48 lawmakers in Eisenkot’s bloc vote in favor of his government, against the 46 Netanyahu backers. The 26 other members of parliament, from Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties, could abstain, allowing the government to be approved without an absolute majority in the Knesset, which has 120 seats.
