Eisenkot Rules Out Joining Netanyahu Government, Cites Internal Israeli Affairs

Gadi Eisenkot, president of the Yashar! party, has stated in private discussions that he would not join a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. According to reports by Kan, Eisenkot indicated that even if former President Donald Trump invited him, he would respect the president but insist that the matter is internal to Israel and refuse any interference. Following the leak of these remarks, Eisenkot denounced rumors about his political intentions, calling them "false information and numerous manipulations" characteristic of "the old politics." He urged his supporters to be patient, stating that "lying manipulations will not influence our decisions" and that only what is right for Israel will matter. Eisenkot promised to communicate his future decisions transparently.

These statements come ahead of a meeting of the "change bloc" leaders, where Eisenkot is scheduled to meet with Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Avigdor Liberman, and Yair Golan to coordinate future actions. Earlier, the Yisrael Beiteinu and The Democrats parties announced they would recommend Eisenkot for Prime Minister during consultations at the presidential residence. However, Avigdor Liberman criticized Eisenkot for the bloc's electoral results, calling the campaign "selfish" and ruling out participation in a minority government.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu's circle conveyed to Eisenkot that negotiations for a national unity government would not proceed if Knesset President Amir Ohana were replaced. This message, directed solely at Eisenkot, suggested the Likud party would consider joint government formulas only if Ohana's position was guaranteed, and no discussions would begin if a replacement attempt was underway. Eisenkot's team, however, reaffirmed their intention to pursue Ohana's replacement while reiterating that joining a Netanyahu-led government was not on the agenda.