Eisenkot meets Lapid; Netanyahu attacks Arab parties in Knesset speech

On inauguration day, the prime minister targeted the Change Bloc and Ra'am while his son called Eisenkot a 'golem'.

Eisenkot meets Lapid; Netanyahu attacks Arab parties in Knesset speech — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu devoted his Knesset speech on inauguration day (Tuesday) to an attack on the Arab parties and the Change Bloc's negotiations with Ra'am. [^2] The speech came as Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot met today with Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, signaling coalition-building efforts. [^3] Netanyahu's call for a unity government under his leadership was undercut hours later when his son Yair called Eisenkot a "golem, puppet on a string of the strongest and darkest forces in the country and the world" on X. [^7] Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas, in an interview with Ynet, accused Netanyahu of responsibility for the October 7 disaster, saying "October 7 happened because of the prime minister's arrogance." [^4] Abbas also claimed that Netanyahu told him during a 2021 meeting at Balfour that he and then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar "understand each other." [^4] MK Ahmad Tibi explained on Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed his support for Eisenkot, distinguishing "between the fascist, racist, and evil, and the lesser evil." Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, at a ceremony in memory of Yitzhak Rabin, said one cause of October 7 was "the flawed culture of 'it'll be fine'" and emphasized personal responsibility: "As an officer in the IDF, do not say 'it'll be fine,' say 'I am responsible.'" US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Kan News that "a strike on Iran is still on the table," while expressing hope for a diplomatic solution. [^1] Channel 12 reported Tuesday evening that disputes between Netanyahu and Zamir over military moves against Iran have re-emerged. [^6] Netanyahu and President Trump held a phone call over the weekend largely about Iran. Haim Ramon told Maariv that a unity government is "illusions" and estimated Netanyahu's maximum seats at 53. France summons Iranian ambassador over cyberattack on 700 commercial sites — French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday for a reprimand following a cyberattack attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Barrot described the incident as 'an attack of unprecede