Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Fueling ‘Racist’ Hostility Against Arabs

On Friday, November 13, 2026, Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with forming Israel's new government, posted a lengthy statement on X accusing Netanyahu of leading a campaign of delegitimization against Arab citizens, who make up 21 percent of the population. "Arab citizens of Israel are part of the Israeli story. The attempt to marginalise them and smear them as a group is an anti-state act," Eisenkot wrote. He added that the prime minister of Israel is the prime minister of all citizens, including those who did not vote for him.

The accusation follows the October 27 elections in which Eisenkot's four-party alliance won 48 seats and Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc secured 53, leaving both short of the 61 needed for a parliamentary majority. Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats and have endorsed Eisenkot to replace Netanyahu, though he has ruled out forming a government with them. A coalition with the two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, would give him exactly 61 seats.

Netanyahu repeatedly made unproven allegations of electoral fraud by Arab-majority parties, claims that Israel's own electoral authorities have rejected. He also criticized Arab-led parties for refusing to describe Hamas as a "terror group" following the October 7, 2023 attack, despite all party leaders condemning the Hamas-led assault. "One can disagree with the representatives of the Arab parties, and one can even feel deep revulsion toward some of them, but one cannot, should not, and I will not allow an entire sector to be slandered," Eisenkot said.

Eisenkot, who led Israel's military from 2015 to 2019 and sat as an observer in Netanyahu's war cabinet for the first eight months of the war in Gaza, has six weeks to form a new government. He reiterated his desire to fulfill the mandate as soon as possible, saying "it would be a grave mistake not to do so." Earlier in the week, he said he was open to including Netanyahu and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in his coalition.

Eisenkot also said he met with Netanyahu and his military secretary on Thursday to discuss the security situation but provided no details. Netanyahu is reportedly weighing military action against Iran despite a lack of enthusiasm from the United States, his own military establishment, and Eisenkot, who has demanded that Netanyahu avoid any new escalation unless it is critical.