Full coverage· Politics· Updated 14 Nov, 20:14

Netanyahu Urges National Unity Government, Invites Eisenkot to Unconditional Talks

On Saturday evening, November 14, 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, to enter immediate negotiations without preconditions to form a broad national unity government. The appeal followed a security briefing and a two-and-a-half-hour meeting between the two leaders on Thursday, which Netanyahu said reinforced his belief in the necessity of a broad coalition. Netanyahu cited the Iranian nuclear program as an existential threat that a narrow government or one reliant on supporters of terrorism could not effectively address, and he suggested that the sensitive issue of Haredi conscription could be resolved collaboratively within a unity framework.

18 newsrooms · 4 languages · since 14 Nov, 17:35

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Netanyahu Urges National Unity Government, Invites Eisenkot to Unconditional Talks — Illustration by baba

What happened

01Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Gadi Eisenkot to begin unconditional negotiations for a broad national unity government.
02Netanyahu cited the Iranian nuclear program as an existential threat that requires a broad coalition to permanently eliminate.
03Gadi Eisenkot dismissed Netanyahu's public appeal as a political trick, noting that negotiation teams had already scheduled a meeting for Sunday.
04President Isaac Herzog recently tasked Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government after Yesh! canceled previous talks with Likud.
05Netanyahu suggested that the issue of Haredi military conscription could be resolved collaboratively with ultra-Orthodox representatives in a unity government.
06Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of attempting to delay the formation of a new government and inciting division while claiming to seek unity.
07Likud MK Elisha Madaan launched a public protest near the Knesset to demand the establishment of a national unity government.
08Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu reiterated his refusal to join any government under Netanyahu's leadership.

Eisenkot, who was recently tasked by President Isaac Herzog with forming the next government, dismissed Netanyahu's public appeal as a political trick and a spin. He noted that negotiation teams from Yashar and Likud had already scheduled a meeting for Sunday, November 15. Eisenkot accused the Prime Minister of calling for negotiations that were already set, while simultaneously disrespecting state institutions, dividing the public, and trying to delay the formation of a new government.

The political maneuvering drew reactions from across the spectrum. Bezalel Smotrich joined the call for unity, urging Eisenkot to act, while Likud MK Elisha Madaan reportedly planned a protest in a tent outside the Knesset to demand a national unity government. Meanwhile, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu reiterated his refusal to join any government led by Netanyahu.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 14 newsrooms. Updated 00:57