Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled his willingness to explore the formation of a “unity government” of Zionist and Haredi parties under his leadership. Netanyahu stressed that forming a unity coalition was “vital need”.
Israel’s former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has started the task of forming a government as directed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, AFP reported. He now has 28 days to form a government. The president can extend the deadline by up to 14 days if required.
This comes a day after Eisenkot said he was willing to include Netanyahu and one of his far-right allies in a coalition government, provided he remained its leader. “I don’t rule anyone out, and no one else should be ruling others out,” he says in a video statement released by his office, as quoted by Times of Israel. “We must join forces in the face of the challenges in front of us,” Netanyahu further said. “If members of Likud and the Religious Zionist Party truly believe this is a time for unity, as they told the president, I cannot conceive of any reason why they would not support a government under my leadership and the principles I have presented,” Eisenkot had said.
