Israel needs unity: Why Herzog must bring Netanyahu, Eisenkot together - opinion

An opinion piece by Shmuel Legesse calls on President Isaac Herzog to bring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot together for a broad Zionist unity government after the 2026 election. Legesse, a right-wing religious Zionist, argues that political division weakens Israel and that both leaders must prioritize national unity over personal grievances.

In an opinion piece published on October 25, 2026, Shmuel Legesse, a former New York City Supreme Court detective and self-described right-wing religious Zionist, calls on President Isaac Herzog to bring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot together to form a broad Zionist unity government. Legesse argues that current polls show Likud and Yashar competing for leadership while neither bloc appears certain to command the 61 Knesset seats needed to govern, raising the risk of another divided parliament and political paralysis. He warns that October 7 was a warning about what happens when leaders become distracted by internal warfare and citizens view one another as threats. The piece proposes a government of limited national repair with a program including restoring security, establishing an independent state commission to investigate the October 7 failures, confronting Iran, rebuilding diplomacy, reducing the cost of living, and requiring meaningful national service. Legesse emphasizes that right-wing and left-wing Israelis are equal owners of the country and that supporting a change in government does not justify dismissing millions of traditional or conservative Israelis as primitive or dangerous.