Gadi Eisenkot urged to form alternative government amid Netanyahu criticism

Opinion pieces in Maariv and Zman Yisrael call on MK Gadi Eisenkot to urgently form an alternative government, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of launching a scare campaign to preserve his position. The articles contrast Eisenkot's plan for a government with Arab party support against Avigdor Lieberman's proposal to negotiate with Haredi parties.

In his column in Maariv, Ben Caspit argues that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has 'lost it' and that Gadi Eisenkot must urgently act to form an alternative government. Caspit criticizes Netanyahu for claiming he called for a unity government during the election campaign, while according to Caspit, Netanyahu rejected it all along. The author accuses Netanyahu of turning a fifth of Israel's citizens into 'enemies of Israel' and warns against the misuse of the Shin Bet and police to rig elections. Caspit contrasts Eisenkot's plan to form a government with external support from Arab parties with Lieberman's plan to negotiate with the ultra-Orthodox, emphasizing that Eisenkot's plan is immediately implementable. The author quotes a source close to Eisenkot warning that Netanyahu must not be left in any position of influence. He also notes that Eisenkot's people are in contact with figures close to President Trump, who conveyed a similar message about the need to replace Netanyahu quickly.