Netanyahu’s main election rival rules out serving under him

• Gadi Eisenkot said he will “categorically” not serve under Benjamin Netanyahu, even in a rotation deal, ahead of Israel’s Oct 27 election.
• Polls show Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition are neck and neck, each on about 50 to 52 seats, leaving no clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
• A unity government is still possible if no side wins outright, but Netanyahu’s corruption trial and Israeli law on ministers could complicate any deal.

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival in Oct 27 elections, ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot, said on Oct 21 that he would refuse to serve as a minister in a new government led by the current premier.

With the poll just days away, and predictions that no side will win on its own, some commentators have raised the possibility of a unity government convening Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc with centrist and centre-right parties.

But speaking to radio station 103 FM on Oct 21, Eisenkot said he was committed, “categorically, to not serving under Netanyahu’s leadership, even within the framework of a rotation” deal in which the two shared power.

Eisenkot has campaigned on attacking the fitness to serve of Netanyahu, especially over his failure to prevent the Oct 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Polls show Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition and the opposition camp rallying around Eisenkot are neck and neck, with each projected to win around 50 to 52 seats – just shy of a majority in the 120-member Knesset.

In his interview, Eisenkot did not rule out the possibility of a unity government altogether.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennet, whose party is polling third, said a government that included the current prime minister would not be an issue for him.

It would, however, run counter to Israeli law, which forbids anyone facing charges from serving as a minister – although the bar does not apply for prime minister.

Netanyahu is currently on trial and faces several charges of corruption, which he denies.

An Oct 16 poll found that 55% of respondents would prefer a unity government over new elections should the upcoming vote fail to produce a clear winner.

In 2020, Netanyahu and centrist Benny Gantz set aside their mutual antipathy to strike a power-sharing deal in which they would rotate the prime ministership between them.

The agreement followed a period that saw three elections in less than a year, and the resulting government lasted only 13 months. AFP