Netanyahu 'interested' in unity govt with Eisenkot: report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering forming a unity government with his rival, Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot, in a deal which would see US President Donald Trump and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog provide guarantees for the arrangement, according to Israel's *Kan *public broadcaster.

The report cited Damona mayor Benny Biton, a close associate of the prime minister, who said on Sunday morning: "I am speaking on the basis of a direct source: Benjamin Netanyahu wants unity... I say this in my own words, and I assure you with absolute certainty: this is neither deception nor an election manoeuvre."

With neither of the two rival political blocs having secured a majority to form a new government in last Tuesday's election, and amid growing political complexity, the possibility of forming a unity government bringing together parties from both camps has emerged, despite the difficulties involved.

Previous Israeli media reports indicated that Trump supports the formation of a new unity government, while excluding the two far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

The Likud official said: "I spoke yesterday with the President of the State of Israel. And here is the news: there will be two guarantors of this agreement: Herzog and the president of the United States, who will act as guarantors for Mr Gadi Eisenkot".

Trump and Netanyahu held a telephone conversation on Saturday, which Hebrew media linked to preparations for launching new attacks on Iran. However, none of the Hebrew media reports provided precise details of the call.

Ahead of the start of consultations on Wednesday, Herzog pledged on Sunday to explore creative solutions suited to the political reality, urging parties to "stop being intransigent" and to "avoid holding another election".

Biton said he did not know whether the issue of national unity had been raised directly during the conversation between Netanyahu and Trump. However, he added: "Personally, I trust the President of the State of Israel to guarantee this matter. And if you do not trust the President of the State of Israel, I also trust the President of the United States."

Biton called on opposition party leaders to enter negotiations, saying: "I call on all sides, without exception—Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett—to put their egos aside. The election campaign is over; come together, sit at the table and reach an agreement."

At the same time, Biton warned the opposition bloc against taking unilateral parliamentary action, saying: "The moment they try to replace the Knesset speaker... how can I put it? This amounts to a declaration of war. There is no problem with appointing a Knesset speaker, provided it is done with the agreement of all parties. But if they proceed with unilateral parliamentary manoeuvres, that is a red line."

He stressed that without broad agreement, the political system would slide towards another election.

"If a national unity government is not formed, we are heading towards another election. Whatever any side does will be futile; neither bloc will succeed in forming a government, regardless of the formula."

He also predicted that any government formed without Likud "would not last and would be unable to survive for more than six months", according to Kan.

Another possible route that the Israeli opposition is expected to consider for forming a government is relying on the support of Arab parties. However, this option remains unlikely because influential opposition blocs reject any dependence on Arab votes.

In this context, the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra'am) are expected to recommend that Gadi Eisenkot be tasked with forming the government during consultations with President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, according to a senior Joint List official quoted by the Israeli news website Walla on Sunday.