Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc announced a slew of initiatives on Tuesday aimed at reshaping the political record of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Israel’s newly sworn-in Knesset opened. According to DW, the moves mark the opening front of the Eisenkot Netanyahu legacy contest, with the caretaker prime minister still in office.
According to DW, Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar Party and allied parties are seeking an official government inquiry into the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. The opposition also wants term limits for the prime minister’s office and aims to reverse the Netanyahu government’s efforts to reform the judiciary.
The bloc is also seeking to depose Knesset speaker Amir Ohana, a Netanyahu ally, DW reported.
In a Knesset speech, Netanyahu called for a national unity government. Eisenkot has ruled that proposal out, according to DW. Yair Golan walked out during the speech.
President Isaac Herzog has given Eisenkot a mandate to try to form a government within six weeks. Neither bloc has a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
The election took place on October 27. Eisenkot’s bloc won 48 seats and Netanyahu’s bloc won 53. Arab parties won a record 19 seats. Eisenkot’s bloc could align with them, but Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu, which is part of the bloc, opposes this.
Netanyahu, 77, first took power in 1996, has served three stints as head of government, and is now the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.
If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the six weeks, which runs to about mid-December, Herzog could choose another lawmaker, presumably Netanyahu.
The key facts in this report rely on DW alone. Netanyahu has denied reports that he received warnings from Egypt and the UAE before October 7 and said he would sue for defamation, though those reports are not confirmed by the sources. DW’s account of Itamar Ben-Gvir harassing Arab-Israeli lawmaker Yousef Jabareen has no second source. The October 7 death toll of some 1,200 and the hostage figure of 251 are approximate and come from a single source. No response from Eisenkot’s office to Netanyahu’s remarks beyond the condemnation reported by DW has been published.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.