Feiglin Open to Eisenkot as PM in Exchange for Defense Portfolio

Moshe Feiglin, a prominent Israeli politician, has stated he would not rule out Gadi Eisenkot serving as Prime Minister, provided Feiglin himself was appointed Defense Minister. This surprising declaration emerged during negotiations between Feiglin and Yaron Zelekha concerning a potential merger of their political parties, as reported by Kan News on Sunday. The discussions, which took place in August, involved Feiglin being asked to define his political boundaries. In response, he reportedly said, "I don't rule out Eisenkot as Prime Minister either, say, in exchange for the Defense portfolio," adding that "Netanyahu is not really a right-wing man."

Zelekha, who was reportedly open to serving in a future government, was pleased with Feiglin's answer. However, the talks between them concluded shortly after, with Feiglin ultimately signing a technical alliance agreement with Bezalel Smotrich's party. This agreement allows Feiglin to operate as an independent faction in the next Knesset but includes a commitment to support Benjamin Netanyahu for Prime Minister, likely due to Smotrich's distrust of Feiglin. The agreement is not legally binding and does not cover political developments after the stage of recommending a candidate to the President.

The Zehut party, Feiglin's faction, clarified that various hypothetical scenarios were explored during the negotiations with Zelekha to map out political boundaries and assess the feasibility of a joint path. One scenario involved forming a broad government with Likud, where Feiglin, as Defense Minister, would implement his policies of "conquest, expulsion, and settlement." In such a government, Feiglin stated he would have no objection to a rotation where Eisenkot served for part of the term, similar to a scenario Netanyahu himself recently agreed to.

The Zehut party further claimed that the negotiations collapsed due to Zelekha's stance, asserting that Zelekha "blew up the entire negotiation" after calling Feiglin "too right-wing," citing his firm position on Arab insubordination and security risks in hospitals. The party expressed disappointment, accusing Zelekha of secretly recording a negotiation partner and disseminating "half-truths and manipulations" in a transparent attempt to harm Feiglin. The Economic Party, meanwhile, declined to comment on the negotiations with Feiglin.