President Herzog Denies Pushing Unity Government Amidst Opposition Criticism

President Isaac Herzog is reportedly working to establish a unity government following the 26th Knesset elections, according to a ynet report. The initiative, as described, aims to compel the two largest parties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud and Gadi Eisenkot's National Unity party, to join forces.

In response to the report, Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, sharply criticized the President. Golan posted on social media, stating, "Buzi, it's time you stopped trying to keep Netanyahu united. There will be no unity government with Netanyahu, and anyone who even thinks about it is stabbing the democratic public in Israel in the back."

Opposition leader Yair Lapid also voiced his opposition to Herzog's alleged intentions. Lapid expressed hope that Herzog would not push for a "fake unity government" where Netanyahu would allegedly deceive partners and bring further disasters upon Israeli citizens who voted to remove him from power. Lapid declared that his party would not cooperate with such a move and called on other parties in the bloc to publicly reject it.

The President's office denied the claims that Herzog is actively working to form a unity government. They clarified that the President's focus is solely on the need to establish a stable government, without specifying its composition or the parties involved. The President's office further stated that the issue of unity has not been raised and was not discussed in his meetings with Knesset members.