Yisrael Beiteinu Cancels Talks with Likud After Netanyahu Speech

A coalition negotiation meeting between Yisrael Beiteinu and the Likud party, scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled at the last minute. The cancellation came after Yisrael Beiteinu accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of delivering a divisive speech and demonstrating no genuine desire for unity. The party stated, "When choosing between the gravity of the hour and the strength of Israeli society, and his own political survival, Netanyahu will always choose himself."

The meeting was intended to be led by Ronen Manelis, former IDF Spokesperson, for Yisrael Beiteinu, and Michael Ravilo, a confidant of Netanyahu, for the Likud. Ravilo had withdrawn his candidacy for State Comptroller just the previous week following a constitutional crisis surrounding the election process. He had initially won a second round of voting in the Knesset but withdrew after reports of demands for coalition members to document their secret ballots led to petitions to the High Court of Justice. The court ruled the process flawed and ordered a new election, a decision the coalition refused to recognize, stating they would consider Ravilo the acting State Comptroller. Ravilo himself declined to assume the role under these circumstances. After the 26th Knesset elections and the loss of Netanyahu's bloc's majority, Ravilo decided not to run again.

The canceled meeting occurred amidst ongoing efforts to form a new government. President Yitzhak Herzog tasked Gadi Eisenkot with forming the government after he received recommendations from 67 Knesset members, compared to 46 for Netanyahu. Eisenkot has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form the government. His conditions for joining include recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, accepting the Declaration of Independence's values, mandatory national or civil service for all, and designating Hamas as a terrorist organization with a commitment to dismantling its military and governing power.

Netanyahu has called for a unity government but insists on maintaining his political bloc. Yisrael Beiteinu demanded he sever ties with "extremist" elements, accept Eisenkot's principles, and agree to a government led by Eisenkot. The Likud responded to the meeting's cancellation by asserting Netanyahu's continued efforts for national unity and readiness to meet with any faction desiring it. They also questioned why Eisenkot canceled the meeting with their representatives while continuing talks with other parties.