Netanyahu Urges Eisenkot to Form Unity Government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening called on Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar! party, to join him in forming a national unity government. He said the two could resolve the dispute over drafting yeshiva students together with representatives of the chareidi public.

The televised statement came two days after the two men held a working meeting on Thursday that lasted more than two hours.

Netanyahu opened by noting that he has known Eisenkot for many years, going back to Eisenkot's tenure as IDF chief of staff. He said their conversation had strengthened his conviction that Israel needs a broad government. Such a government, he said, should include all parties that support Israel's existence as the state of the Jewish people, and is needed to meet the security challenges facing the country.

The prime minister pointed to concerns that Iran is working to rebuild its strength and revive its nuclear program. "We must do everything to continue preventing it from doing so, as we did in Rising Lion and in Roaring Lion, when we removed the danger of immediate annihilation from us. We must remove this existential threat from over our heads once and for all," he said. He added that a narrow government, or one that relies on Arab parties, would not be able to meet that challenge.

According to reports published this week and cited by Kikar HaShabbat, the International Atomic Energy Agency is increasingly concerned about its inability to monitor Iran's nuclear activity. A confidential report submitted by the agency's leadership reportedly states that it lacks sufficient information to determine what is happening at the facility in Isfahan, where inspectors have been denied access since June 2025. The report also notes that Iran holds hundreds of kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, but that since the war inspectors have struggled to track its location and condition.

Herzog in the plenum (Photo: Knesset Channel)

At the heart of his remarks, Netanyahu urged Eisenkot to abandon efforts to form an alternative coalition. "Instead of trying to form a shaky and dangerous government that will not be able to meet the enormous security and national challenges before us, we will do the obvious thing: we will enter the room, without preconditions, set aside all the disputes and all the boycotts, and reach agreements for the security and future of Israel," he said.

Netanyahu also addressed the political crisis over the drafting of yeshiva students. He said a unity government could settle the matter by consensus, "including on the draft issue, which can be resolved together with the representatives of the chareidi public."

The appeal comes as the so-called change bloc holds advanced talks with the chareidi parties. The bloc is weighing a proposal to freeze draft enforcement for a year immediately after a government is formed. During that year, an agreed draft law would be drawn up, based on an improved version of Avigdor Liberman's 2018 outline. United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Liberman held their first significant meeting this week, where they discussed the draft law and the possibility of reaching an agreed framework.

On Friday, Eisenkot posted a detailed statement on social media about the coalition talks and the attacks over a possible partnership with Arab parties. He accused Netanyahu, whom he called the outgoing prime minister, and his circle of running a campaign against Israel's Arab population for political gain. "Arab citizens of Israel make up 21% of the general population. Since the start of the election campaign, they have faced a racist and violent campaign of delegitimization fueled by the outgoing prime minister and his circle for political reasons," he wrote.

Eisenkot said talks with his partners in the bloc were progressing. He said he intends "to turn over every stone and speak with every elected official who agrees to the four principles, with the aim of forming a stable government as soon as possible." He also referred to his working meeting with Netanyahu, saying the security situation requires close oversight of the government's actions during the transition period.

Thursday's meeting took place at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem and was also attended by Netanyahu's military secretary, Maj. Gen. Guy Markizano. Afterward, a joint statement was released: "The security briefing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his military secretary Maj. Gen. Guy Markizano to Yashar! chairman Gadi Eisenkot has now ended. Eisenkot was updated on the security and diplomatic challenges facing the State of Israel at this time. It was agreed to continue mutual updates as needed."