Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called on Sunday for "Yesh Atid" leader Gadi Eisenkot to hasten the formation of a new government, stressing that the highest priority is the ousting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Barak affirmed in statements to the Israeli public broadcasting authority that Eisenkot must act as quickly as possible, emphasizing that the most important commitment is changing the current government.
For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called for unity to confront what he described as "Iranian threats," claiming that Iran is trying to resume its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Katz pointed out that Israelis must be united in the face of upcoming challenges, considering this a time for unity, responsibility, and mutual solidarity.
Barak expressed no objection to the participation of Arab parties in the upcoming government, stating that all options are good and that if Arabs are part of the government, that is a good thing. He noted that the right-wing "Likud" party could have been a partner in a unity government without Netanyahu, amid internal disagreements about including it in the coalition.
These statements come after Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming the government after receiving recommendations from 67 Knesset members, compared to 46 who recommended tasking Netanyahu. Eisenkot faces the task of forming the government without his camp holding an independent parliamentary majority, while Israeli law grants a 28-day deadline extendable by an additional 14 days.
For his part, Netanyahu called for forming a unity government including the National Camp parties and Zionist parties to confront the Iranian nuclear threat. Eisenkot responded by affirming that Netanyahu spoke of unity only after realizing his days were numbered, accusing him of working to divide Israeli society, and pointing to his four principles for forming the government.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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