Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has renewed his call for the formation of a national unity government under his leadership, despite President Isaac Herzog giving opposition bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a new government.
“Who should lead such a government? Obviously, the party that should lead it is the largest party,” Netanyahu said, pointing out that his Likud party received 250,000 more votes than Eisenkot’s Yashar party.
Netanyahu also ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition government with Arab parties.
“It is impossible to form a government that depends on supporters of Hamas,” he said, referring to the two factions that together secured 19 seats in parliament.
Eisenkot received the mandate from President Herzog on Sunday after securing the support of 67 lawmakers. He has 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a 14-day extension.
However, negotiations are expected to be difficult. Although the parties supporting Eisenkot share the goal of removing Netanyahu from power, they remain divided over how to achieve that objective.
