Israel’s caretaker prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday reiterated his calls for a national unity government with his opponent Gadi Eisenkot, who in turn dismissed the appeal as a ruse.
asserted
who → reiterate → ruse
The latest exchange comes as Eisenkot is in the midst of negotiations to form a government, after he was tapped for the post of premier last Sunday.
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he → come → premier
A meeting with Eisenkot on Thursday “only strengthened the conviction that it is essential to form a national unity government” to guarantee Israel’s security, Netanyahu said in a video statement, adding that such a government could “eliminate the Iranian threat once and for all”.
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government → strengthen → all
He said this government would be made up of parties that recognise Israel “as a state for the Jewish people”.
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that → say → people
It would address security challenges, he added, most notably Iran which he claimed would “not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against us”.
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he → address → us
The outgoing prime minister warned against Eisenkot’s plan to form a minority government, presented as a “national emergency government”.
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minister → warn → government
Such a plan would see the 48 lawmakers in Eisenkot’s bloc vote in favour of his government, against the 46 Netanyahu backers.
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lawmakers → see → backers
The 26 other members of parliament, from Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties, could abstain, allowing the government to be approved without an absolute majority in the Knesset, which has 120 seats.
“Instead of trying to form a weak and dangerous government … let’s meet in one room, without preconditions, put aside all our disagreements and all the boycotts, and reach agreements for the security and the future of the state,” Netanyahu urged.
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Netanyahu → abstain → state
Minutes later, Eisenkot responded by saying Netanyahu “knows he lost the election”, accusing him of playing “tricks” by appealing for a unity government.
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he → respond → government
“Netanyahu is calling for negotiations while they are already under way; he claims to want unity but … sows division and stokes tensions as if there were no tomorrow,” the former army chief said, adding that “these tricks don’t work on me”.
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tricks → call → me
‘Break with extremists’
Eisenkot was tapped to form a new government within 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.
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Eisenkot → tap → extension
Negotiations are expected to be difficult, especially as Netanyahu has waged a campaign to discredit Arab-Israeli parties, which gained a record number of seats in the election.
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which → expect → election
Netanyahu’s proposed unity government would be made up of key Jewish parties ranging from the centre to the right, while excluding the Arab parties.
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government → propose → parties
Eisenkot has indicated he would be open to forming a government with members of Netanyahu’s Likud party, as well as outgoing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism, provided their commitment to unity is “sincere”.
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commitment → indicate → unity
But a unity government with Netanyahu himself remains unlikely, particularly after Eisenkot denounced his “racist” campaign against Arab parties on Friday.
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Eisenkot → remain → Friday
Eisenkot on Saturday reiterated his calls for a “break with the extremists”, notably supporters of far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as a condition for any participation in a government under his leadership.
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Eisenkot → reiterate → leadership
Another point of contention is the election on Tuesday of the speaker of the Knesset, a post currently held by Amir Ohana, a close Netanyahu ally.
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point → hold → Ohana
The opposition has put forward Matan Kahana, a former officer in the Israeli army who was fifth on Gadi Eisenkot’s list, to replace him.
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who → put → him
“If they (Likud and its allies) are truly seeking a sincere political partnership, as they claim, they must allow the democratic process to unfold normally … and instruct their members of parliament to support the appointment of Matan Kahana,” Eisenkot said.
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Eisenkot → seek → Kahana
The Aporia
