Eisenkot Rules Out Coalition With Netanyahu

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yahad party, declared unequivocally that he will not join a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the upcoming elections. In an interview with "103 FM" radio on Wednesday, Eisenkot stated that Netanyahu is unfit to hold any leadership position, citing his responsibility for the failures preceding the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Eisenkot, a former IDF Chief of Staff, emphasized that anyone in a leadership role at the time of the attack is unworthy of future positions.

Israelis are set to vote for a new Knesset on October 27, with 7.3 million eligible voters among the country's population of over ten million. Eisenkot's party has consistently polled ahead of Netanyahu's Likud in recent weeks. Eisenkot himself lost a son and a nephew in combat operations in Gaza during the war against Hamas.

Previously, Eisenkot had not entirely ruled out a coalition with Likud, leading to accusations from other opposition figures, notably Avigdor Lieberman, that he might consider such a move. However, Eisenkot firmly stated this will not happen. He also described a recent meeting with Lieberman as positive, indicating that "all the problems between us" were discussed.

Eisenkot also rejected the idea of a rotating premiership, arguing that a prime minister should be elected for a full four-year term to implement plans and advance domestic and regional policies. He vowed that if he were to enter a coalition with Netanyahu, he would resign within an hour of it happening.