Netanyahu Warns Arab‑Allied Coalition Would Undermine Israel’s Existence

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that a coalition between opposition parties and Arab lists would cause the nation to collapse.

The comment was made on the day before Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced who would be tasked with forming the next government after last week’s election, as Netanyahu’s opponents grow increasingly hopeful of ousting the country’s longest‑serving prime minister.

The opposition, headed by former military chief and political newcomer Gadi Eisenkot, who has sought to appeal to secular and liberal Israelis, has opened the way to an unlikely alliance with ultra‑Orthodox Jews.

This could give Eisenkot enough seats to form a coalition that may also include the moderate Islamist party Raam — whose leader has recognized Israel as a “Jewish state” — and secure external support from the Arab‑majority Joint List.

“A government reliant on Islamists would dismantle Israel from within, as is occurring in some European nations, and far worse,” Netanyahu said in a pre‑recorded address, echoing the rhetoric of far‑right European politicians who claim parts of Europe are falling under Islamic law.

Neither side secured a majority in the October 27 election, in a country deeply polarized by Netanyahu’s hard‑right governance and exhausted after three years of war.

Speaking on Thursday after consulting with all parties, President Isaac Herzog, who must appoint a candidate to form the next government, said it would be logical to award the mandate to Eisenkot, who was backed by factions representing 67 lawmakers, compared with 46 for Netanyahu’s bloc.

The president has also signaled his willingness to explore a national unity government that would bring together Jewish Israelis from both camps.

On Saturday, Netanyahu reiterated his support for the proposal.

“I call for the creation of a national unity government that will include all parties of the national camp and all Zionist parties that seek to safeguard our sole state, the Jewish people’s nation,” he said, refraining from asserting that he should head such a coalition, as he has in a recent speech.

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