Eisenkot drops a bombshell: Bennett and Lieberman backtrack on agreement for prime minister

Gadi Eisenkot claims that Bennett and Lieberman violated a prior agreement that the leader of the largest party would become prime minister. He sets red lines for the coalition, including excluding Arab parties that do not define Hamas as a terrorist organization, and expresses confidence that the opposition bloc will reach 63-64 seats.

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar!" party, drops a political bombshell in an interview and accuses Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman of violating a prior agreement. According to him, the three had agreed that the leader of the largest party would be the candidate for prime minister, but now his partners have backtracked. Eisenkot emphasizes that his position did not change even when his party was small, and that they are the ones who changed their minds. He rejects a model of rotating the prime minister role among coalition partners during the term. He then sets strict conditions for partnership in a government under his leadership: acceptance of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, the values of the Declaration of Independence, and mandatory service. Another condition he seeks to include in the basic guidelines is recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be dismantled, which leads him to conclude that he does not see an Arab party that would accept his principles. Despite current polls, Eisenkot expresses optimism and believes the opposition bloc will reach 63-64 seats. He also attacks Itamar Ben-Gvir, claiming that he chooses to perpetuate the rule of those who were in power on October 7, and declares that he does not see Ben-Gvir joining any coalition.