Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot has said he would resign within an hour from any unity government with Prime Minister Netanyahu, ruling out a rotational deal between the two candidates leading the polls as Israel heads towards a potentially deadlocked election.
Eisenkot vowed never to serve in a government led by Netanyahu, even under a power-sharing arrangement, issuing a categorical rejection of a prospective unity deal less than a week before Israel's general election on October 27.
With the latest polls predicting that Yashar would win the most Knesset seats, but that neither major coalition bloc would achieve a majority, party leaders from both sides had accused their lead candidates of plotting a compromise deal.
On Eisenkot’s side, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman suggested that Yashar might join Likud in a power-sharing deal to achieve a majority out of “self-interest”, while Otzma Yehudit’s Itamar Ben-Gvir accused Netanyahu of planning to ally with Eisenkot in order to exclude his far-right party from government.
But in an interview with Radio 103FM, Eisenkot said: “I unequivocally pledge that I will not serve under Netanyahu in a rotation agreement. Period.
“If that were to happen, you would see me resign an hour later.”
The former IDF chief of staff reiterated that he would not rule out forming a government in partnership with Likud but insisted that he would not do so if it meant working with Netanyahu specifically.
Eisenkot's opposition to Netanyahu is rooted in what he regards as the prime minister's responsibility for the failures surrounding the October 7 attacks.
Eisenkot has sought to present himself as an alternative on leadership and national security following the massacre and subsequent Gaza War.
His refusal to join a Netanyahu-led administration could complicate efforts to break the deadlock if the election produces no clear winner, especially given that Liberman has said he would leave any coalition that included the Arab parties, which are predicted to win around 15 seats jointly.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has indicated that he wants to avoid a repeat of Israel's political crisis in 2019 and 2020, when the country held three elections within 11 months without producing a stable government.
A unity administration, potentially involving a rotation in the premiership, has been discussed as one possible way to prevent another election.
However, reports that the president has explored a Netanyahu-Eisenkot arrangement have been disputed. Ynet reported last week that sources within Eisenkot's party said Herzog had raised the prospect of a unity coalition, but the President's Office categorically denied discussing any future coalition arrangement with politicians.
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