![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.punchng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/10212649\/AFP__20261110__D73J6UT__v1__MidRes__IsraelPoliticsParliament_1794342409.webp\")
Speaking at the opening of parliament, Netanyahu called for a national unity government, warning against an administration that would depend on Arab parties.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cTo those who are thinking of establishing a government that includes supporters of terror and haters of Israel, or that will be dependent on them, I ask you, are you prepared to be dependent on those whose goal is the destruction of the Jewish state?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also argued that a unity government was necessary to confront what he described as the threat of a nuclear Iran.<\/p>\n
Eisenkot criticised the outgoing prime minister\u2019s remarks, accusing him of using the parliamentary occasion to deepen divisions.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI sat and listened to the outgoing prime minister\u2019s delusional, divisive, hate-filled and shameful speech, exploiting a state occasion. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am now even more convinced that he is unfit to remain in office for even one more minute,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
The election has placed the Arab-led parties in an unusual position, with the United Arab List and the Joint List winning 19 seats between them, following increased turnout among Arab voters.\n<\/p>\n
Although Netanyahu has ruled out governing with the Arab parties, they could help Eisenkot secure parliamentary support for a minority government.\n<\/p>\n
The United Arab List has indicated willingness to join an Eisenkot-led coalition, while the Joint List has offered to support it from outside the government.<\/p>\n
However, the arrangement faces resistance within Eisenkot\u2019s own alliance. Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu party won seven seats, has opposed a minority government dependent on Arab lawmakers.\n<\/p>\n
Eisenkot has also set out conditions for parties seeking to join his proposed government. They include recognising Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, supporting compulsory military or national service for all communities and recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation while committing to dismantling its military and governing capabilities.\n<\/p>\n
Those conditions could complicate negotiations with Arab parties, which have emphasised equal rights for Arab citizens and have not publicly adopted Eisenkot\u2019s position on Hamas.\n<\/p>\n
The ultra-Orthodox parties, which won 13 seats, also present a challenge. They oppose changes to arrangements that exempt ultra-Orthodox Jewish men engaged in full-time religious study from compulsory military service, a reform supported by parties in Eisenkot\u2019s bloc.\n<\/p>\n
The political deadlock means Eisenkot must negotiate with parties whose positions differ on key issues, while Netanyahu remains in office pending the formation of a new administration. If both men fail to form a government, Israel could face another election.\n <\/p>\n
Source: <\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s newly elected parliament has been sworn in, as opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot begins efforts to form a government and remove caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power, BBC reports… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}