New Delhi: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is lagging in Israeli election surveys, may now make a new move to remain in power. There is talk that he wants to become Prime Minister again by forming a unity government and rotation deal with rival Gadi Eysenkot. This is the same formula which was tried between Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar, where the latter broke the agreement and took over the chair himself.
What is the whole matter?
According to The Washington Post report, Netanyahu’s allies and leaders of the Likud party are trying to form an alliance with Eysenkot’s Yashar party. Representatives of US President Donald Trump have also talked to Israeli officials on this issue, although Eysenkot has publicly refused to form a government with Netanyahu.
No one is far from majority in the survey
On October 23, the Jerusalem Post cited surveys by N12 and Channel 13. In N12, Yashar got 23 seats and Likud 19 seats, while in Channel 13 Yashar got 20 seats and Likud 19 seats. For majority in the 120-member Knesset, 61 seats are required, which no group seems to be getting. According to N12, Eizenkot’s opposition group got 55 seats and Likud group got 51 seats, while Channel 13 estimated 52 and 49 seats. In such a situation, coalition or unity government is the only option.
Netanyahu is calling himself soft
According to the report, Netanyahu is telling American and European officials that with Eysenkot he can form a more liberal government. In this he can exclude leaders like his hard-right fellow Itamar Ben-Gvir. He argues that his government will be America’s strongest ally against Iran.
Trump’s open support
On October 18, Donald Trump described Netanyahu as a ‘great warrior prime minister’ and on October 25, he pressured the Israeli President to pardon Netanyahu on corruption charges. A Likud official said Trump wants a stable government and Netanyahu is the right person for that. However, there is disagreement within the Trump administration itself, with many not trusting Netanyahu’s past record.
History of Bihar-Karnataka
India has a history of rotation deals. In Bihar, Nitish-Tejashwi had made an agreement in 2022 that Tejashwi would become the Chief Minister later, but in January 2024, Nitish broke the alliance and formed the government with BJP. In 2006, the 20-20 month formula between Kumaraswamy and Yediyurappa was also broken in Karnataka. In Israel, in 2020, Netanyahu also broke the rotation deal with Benny Gantz.
Now the question is, will Eizenkot trust Netanyahu? According to pollster Menachem Lazar, Netanyahu is not trusted and a coalition with him would be political suicide for Eizenkot.