Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for his chief political rival, Gadi Eisenkot, to enter what he calls a unity government of all Jewish-majority parties, arguing that a government relying on Arab parties will not be able to confront the Iranian threat.
In a video statement, Netanyahu claims the security briefing he gave to Eisenkot on Thursday “only strengthened my understanding of how essential it is to form at this time a national unity government, a government that will include all parties that support the existence of Israel as the state of the Jewish people.”
“Let us go into the room, without preconditions,” Netanyahu says, “put aside all disputes and all boycotts, and reach agreements for Israel’s security and future, including on the issue of conscription, which can be solved together with representatives of the Haredi public.”
Eisenkot, not Netanyahu, was given the mandate to form a government.
Netanyahu says Iran is working to restore its nuclear weapons program and will use the bomb against Israel. He asserts that the two operations against Iran over the past year “removed the immediate danger of annihilation from upon us.”
“We must remove this existential threat from us once and for all,” Netanyahu says.
“A narrow government, or a government that relies on supporters of terrorism, will not be able to achieve this tremendous challenge,” he continues, returning to his oft-expressed argument that the two Arab parties support Hamas. “But a national unity government will be able to achieve this in time, and ensure Israel’s security for many years.”
Netanyahu, who gave an acrimonious address at the Knesset inauguration last week, says a national unity government will lead to national reconciliation.
“The necessary response to those who deliberately walked out during the singing of ‘Hatikvah’ is to establish the government of hope,” says Netanyahu, “the national unity government.”
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