Eisenkot rules out joining Netanyahu government, even if Trump asks - report

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot ruled out joining a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he would refuse even if US President Donald Trump personally asked him to, KAN reported on Monday. Eisenkot said he would meet Trump if invited but oppose US involvement in Israel's internal politics.

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot has ruled out joining a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating he would refuse even if US President Donald Trump personally asked him to, according to a KAN report on Monday. Eisenkot made the remarks during a recent closed-door meeting, citing unnamed sources. He added that he would agree to meet Trump if invited but would insist that forming an Israeli government is an internal matter and avoid interference. The Jerusalem Post reported last week that Trump surrogates had spoken with Israeli officials about a potential unity government including Netanyahu and Eisenkot. A Likud official told The Washington Post that Trump wants a stable Israeli government formed quickly. The election left neither bloc with a majority: Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, the opposition 48, and Arab parties 19. Opposition leaders Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Liberman have all said they would recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog as the candidate to form a government. However, Liberman ruled out joining a government dependent on Arab parties or a unity government with Netanyahu.