Netanyahu's Strategy: A Broad Government With Eisenkot, Minus Haredi Reliance?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly aiming to form a "broad national government" after the upcoming elections, a strategy that could potentially reduce his reliance on the Haredi parties and diminish the political leverage of figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir. This approach, signaled by Netanyahu's repeated use of the phrase "broad national government" rather than "full right-wing government," suggests a desire for wider consensus on critical issues such as the draft law and judicial reform.

A key challenge for Netanyahu is the Haredi parties' insistence on maintaining the exemption from military service for yeshiva students. MK Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism has stated the party will not join any government that does not satisfy its demands on this issue. This presents Netanyahu with a dilemma: either concede to the Haredi demands or seek alternative coalition partners.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as a potential partner who could offer Netanyahu the alternative he needs. A government including Eisenkot would allow Netanyahu to navigate the draft law crisis more effectively and potentially neutralize Ben-Gvir's "kingmaker" role. In a broad coalition, Ben-Gvir's influence would be significantly reduced, as the government would not be dependent on his single seat for survival.

While Eisenkot is theoretically part of a bloc aiming to replace Netanyahu, this opposition bloc faces internal divisions, particularly regarding who would lead it. Eisenkot himself reportedly seeks an agreed-upon mechanism for selecting a candidate, a point of contention with others like Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, and Avigdor Lieberman, who maintain their own political ambitions.

Netanyahu has a history of forming broad coalitions, including with centrist and left-wing parties, to achieve his political goals. Examples include his 2009 government with Ehud Barak's Labor, his 2013 government with Lapid and Tzipi Livni, and his 2020 rotation government with Benny Gantz. His inclusion of Gantz in the emergency government after October 7th further illustrates this pattern.

Eisenkot, as a former IDF chief and a prominent security figure, represents a more palatable partner for Netanyahu than other opposition leaders. Such a coalition would grant Netanyahu greater operational freedom, lessen his dependence on the Haredi parties regarding the draft, curb Ben-Gvir's demands, and present an image of a broad government led by security figures to the international community. While there is no concrete evidence of an agreement between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, or certainty that Eisenkot would agree to join, the current political landscape suggests this is a plausible strategy for Netanyahu.