Netanyahu confidant asked Ra'am about backing an Eisenkot government, N12 reports, as Netanyahu urges unity

Natan Eshel, a longtime confidant and former chief of staff of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, repeatedly contacted Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas before and after the October election to ask whether the Arab party would help a government led by Gadi Eisenkot, according to a report by N12 News on Monday evening. The contacts took place while Netanyahu campaigned against any government that relies on Arab parties. On Monday he repeated in a recorded video that "you cannot establish a government with Hamas supporters."

Likud said Netanyahu was surprised by the report and that the contacts were made without his knowledge. Eshel first denied any contact, then said he had asked "some Arabs" whether they had "a shred of self-respect." Ra'am did not comment publicly, according to the reports. The report came on the eve of Tuesday's swearing-in of the 26th Knesset, with neither Netanyahu's bloc nor Eisenkot's able to show a 61-seat majority.

Quotations from Hebrew-language reports are translated by 567politics.

What N12 reported#

N12's Arab affairs correspondent Mohammad Magadli reported that Eshel approached Abbas "time after time," before the election, during it and after the results were published, to find out whether Ra'am would support a government headed by Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, and to persuade him not to.

One of the first approaches concerned the military conscription law for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men, according to the report. Eshel asked whether Ra'am would allow Eisenkot to pass the law in the Knesset. Abbas replied: "We will wait for the election results and decide accordingly," N12 said.

After the results were published, Eshel asked again: "Will you help Eisenkot?" Ra'am chose not to reply, according to the report. Later, after Netanyahu had begun campaigning against the bloc seeking to replace him on the grounds that it would depend on Arab parties, Eshel asked a third question: "Will you help Eisenkot in the Knesset, even though he doesn't want you in the coalition?" N12 said Ra'am is not answering Eshel's approaches but has not "completely closed the door."

The channel is not new. N12 said contacts between Netanyahu and Abbas began in 2019 and developed into a political channel that also operated at the prime minister's residence on Balfour Street, and that Eshel was the person who opened it. In 2021, Ra'am became the first independent Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition, under Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.

The responses#

Eshel, asked by N12 whether he had approached Abbas, first said he had cut ties with him, did not trust him and saw him as dangerous to Israel. After being shown the approaches and documentation, he said: "No messages were conveyed. I asked some Arabs 'whether they have a shred of self-respect, and whether they would support someone who doesn't want them in the coalition and only uses them.' And he answered me, like many others: 'We will do what is good for us.'"

Likud said in response: "Prime Minister Netanyahu was surprised to hear about these exchanges, and they were not done with his knowledge." In a version reported by Ynet, Likud added: "Likud opposes any cooperation with parties that support terror."

Neither Abbas nor Ra'am commented on the report in the coverage reviewed by 567politics.

Netanyahu's unity appeal#

The report contrasts with Netanyahu's public message. In a video released Monday, Netanyahu called for a unity government under his leadership. "Two days ago, I called for the establishment of a unity government, and this is the need of the hour, because you cannot establish a government with Hamas supporters, or a government that depends on Hamas supporters," he said, according to Israel National News. "You cannot fight Iran and its other radical Islamist proxies if you have supporters of radical Islam within the government or on whom you depend."

He said the government "must include all the parties of the national camp, including the haredi parties, and it must also include all the other Zionist parties." The Jerusalem Post reported that he said he was not ruling out any Zionist party, but that he, as head of the largest party, should lead it.

Netanyahu first used the word "unity" on Saturday evening, according to Ynet News, after weeks in which he had called for a "broad national government." In that statement he said that "already this coming week, there are those who intend to hurriedly swear in a government with supporters of terrorism," and that "a government dependent on Hamas supporters will not fight Hamas." He accused some of its prospective members of calling Israeli soldiers war criminals and said such a government would be unable to remove the Iranian threat. He also said a unity government would "permanently remove the Iranian nuclear threat" and "preserve Israel as a Jewish state." He made clear he would not leave his current partners behind: the government he proposes would include "all the parties of the national camp." Our report on his earlier appeal is here.

Yashar's answer#

Eisenkot's party responded to Saturday's statement by calling Netanyahu "the outgoing prime minister." "Someone who divided, incited and set parts of Israeli society against one another is heard using the word 'unity' only when he realizes that his days in office are numbered," it said, according to Ynet News. It said Likud and its partners were "more than welcome to publicly announce that they are breaking their alliance with the extremists, accepting Gadi Eisenkot's four principles and are prepared to enter a government under Prime Minister Eisenkot. Until then, this is nothing more than a pathetic spin." One of those principles is recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization and committing to destroy its military and governing power, Ynet News reported. The party's positions are summarized on our Yashar profile.

Democrats faction chair Efrat Rayten accused Netanyahu of calling for "fake unity" while inciting against Arab citizens, Ynet News reported. Party leader Yair Golan said his party wanted "a partnership with the Haredi public" but that "the ultra-Orthodox need to enlist," and that anyone wanting to work with the Democrats "will have to be prepared for change." Democrats lawmaker Gilad Kariv said that when Netanyahu speaks of unity, "it is clear that he too understands that they lost the election."

Ra'am's stated position#

Ra'am, along with the Joint List, recommended Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog during last week's consultations. Abbas told Herzog that "the vision is reconciliation and peace. Two states will be established here and Hamas and the armed organizations must disarm," according to Ynet News. "We want a peace-seeking Palestinian state, but we must also present recognition of the other side's rights," he said.

Eshel's last question referred to a plan in which Ra'am would help Eisenkot from outside the coalition rather than join it.

Why Ra'am's votes matter#

Under Israel's Basic Law: The Government, a government holds office by virtue of the Knesset's confidence. A new government does not need 61 votes to take office, only more votes in favor than against. Lawmakers who abstain can therefore let a government form without joining it.

Eisenkot has authorized an examination of exactly that kind of arrangement, Ynet News reported. Under the proposal it described, Eisenkot's 48 lawmakers would be joined by one Ra'am member, Yoav Segalovitz, for 49 votes in favor against 46 from Netanyahu's bloc. The remaining 25 would abstain: United Torah Judaism's seven members, Ra'am's other seven and the Joint List's 11. Ra'am and United Torah Judaism would then keep the government in office from outside. Joint List lawmaker Ahmad Tibi has indicated his party would not oppose an alternative government, Ynet News said.

That plan faces opposition inside Eisenkot's own bloc. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman said on Friday that he intended to actively vote against a minority government dependent on support or abstention from Arab parties, Ynet News reported. He said he was prepared to compromise on the Haredi draft to form a government with the ultra-Orthodox parties instead. "In the political reality that has been created, national responsibility requires us to make difficult decisions and be prepared for painful compromises," he said. Asked about the minority-government report, Yashar said that "the various reports were not issued with our approval and do not necessarily reflect the reality as it stands", and that it would "not comment on what takes place behind closed doors."

The arithmetic#

The contacts matter because neither bloc can reach a majority on its own. A government needs the support of 61 of the Knesset's 120 members. The table shows the final results by bloc, as covered in our report on the final count.

Herzog gave Eisenkot the mandate to form a government on Sunday after 67 lawmakers recommended him, including the Arab-led parties, according to Ynet News. Without the Arab-led parties, Eisenkot's bloc has 48 seats. That is why both sides are courting the Haredi parties, which hold seats in Netanyahu's bloc, and why any Ra'am support or abstention in a Knesset vote could decide the outcome. Shas and United Torah Judaism's positions are covered in our report on Eisenkot's talks with the Haredi parties.

Tuesday's swearing-in#

The 26th Knesset is due to be sworn in on Tuesday. All 120 members will declare allegiance after remarks by Herzog and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, the Jerusalem Post reported. The Post said the new house has 47 first-time members, who attended an orientation day on Monday. Eisenkot's party wants to replace Ohana as speaker before bringing any government to a confidence vote, as covered in our report on the speaker contest.

Unanswered questions#

It remains unknown how many times Eshel contacted Abbas, whether anyone else in Netanyahu's circle was involved, and whether Ra'am will support, abstain on or oppose a government led by Eisenkot. N12 did not publish the documentation it said it showed Eshel. Ra'am had not commented by late Monday Israel time. Party positions across Israeli politics are compared on our Israel political spectrum.

Differing perspectives

Should Israel's next government be formed with outside support or abstention from Arab parties?

Each position is summarized as its supporters make it, with equal weight and in alphabetical order. A summary is not an endorsement; the evidence for each is weighed in the story above.

• Change government without relying on Arab parties

  Who holds it: Avigdor Liberman, Yisrael Beytenu

  Liberman says the Netanyahu era must end and Israel must not be dragged into another election, but a new government must not depend on the abstention of the Joint List and Ra'am. He says national responsibility requires painful compromises, and that he is prepared to compromise on the ultra-Orthodox draft to form a government with the Haredi parties instead.

  In their words: Ynet News ↗

• Form a unity government of the national camp

  Who holds it: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud

  Netanyahu says Israel needs a broad unity government under his leadership that includes all the parties of the national camp and is open to others, ending mutual boycotts. He argues that a government relying on Arab parties he describes as Hamas supporters could not fight Hamas or confront Iran, and that unity is needed for the country's security and survival.

  In their words: Israel National News (Netanyahu video statement) ↗

• Replace Netanyahu, including with outside support

  Who holds it: Gadi Eisenkot and the Yashar party

  Yashar says it is working with great commitment to carry out voters' wish to replace the government it holds responsible for past failures. Eisenkot has authorized an examination of a minority government that would take office with outside backing or abstention from Ra'am and United Torah Judaism, since a new government needs more votes for than against rather than 61. The party declines to discuss closed-door talks.

  In their words: Ynet News ↗

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