When "Abu Yair" rushed to attack Eisenkot over what he himself did

Commentator Muhammad Majadala analyzes the storm surrounding Gadi Eisenkot's visit to the Bedouin village of Zarzir, which became a tool of attack by Likud. Majadala points to Netanyahu's hypocrisy, who previously courted the Arab sector and called himself "Abu Yair," and now runs a delegitimization campaign against Eisenkot for merely meeting with Arab local council heads. Alongside criticism of Netanyahu, Majadala notes Eisenkot's deviation from his strategic line, and explains that the drop in polls stems from Likud's scare campaign.

Commentator Muhammad Majadala analyzes in his column the political storm surrounding the visit of Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot to the Bedouin village of Zarzir in the north. The visit, which began as a friendly meeting with Bedouin local council heads as part of the "Path of Israel" tour, turned into a political entanglement fueled by Likud. Majadala points to the hypocrisy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who previously courted the Arab sector, called himself "Abu Yair," sat in those same forums, and even invited Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas four times to the Prime Minister's Residence. Now, Netanyahu is running a delegitimization campaign against Eisenkot, claiming he will form a government with the Arabs. Alongside criticism of Netanyahu, Majadala notes that Eisenkot this week deviated from the strategic line he had formulated, which was based on principles and values rather than a discussion of Arabs and Haredim. He explains that the drop in polls for the "change bloc" from 59 to 54 seats stems from Likud's scare campaign. Despite the storm, Majadala sees the visit as an important move of reaching out to all parts of society, and quotes Eisenkot as saying that the upcoming elections are the most important since the founding of the state, as they will speak to Israel's identity and its attitude toward all its citizens.