Israeli political figure Gadi Eisenkot accused caretaker prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday of fuelling a racist campaign against the country’s Arab minority. The remarks came after Netanyahu sought to delegitimise the community’s lawmakers by linking them to Hamas.
Eisenkot issued the statement on Friday, marking a rare instance of a prominent Jewish political leader taking a strong stand in defence of Arab Israelis. Arab citizens make up more than 20% of the population.
Two Arab-majority parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, secured a combined 19 seats in last month’s election. They won nearly a sixth of the 120-seat parliament and could emerge as kingmakers in efforts by Eisenkot to form a government.
Eisenkot wrote on X that Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story. He stated that they had been subjected to a racist and aggressive campaign of delegitimisation, fuelled by the outgoing prime minister and those around him for political purposes.
He said the attempt to marginalise and vilify them collectively violated the principles of civic responsibility. Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly criticised leaders of Arab parties for refusing to describe Hamas as a terror group after its 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
Netanyahu has also alleged electoral fraud by Arab-majority parties, although electoral authorities rejected the claims. In a speech, Netanyahu lamented that the two Arab lists refused to recognise Israel as a Jewish state, despite Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas having done so in the past.
Netanyahu claimed they sought to establish either an Islamic state or a nationalist Palestinian state. During the same ceremony, national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir heckled Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen during his oath of allegiance, accusing him of having pledged allegiance to Hamas.
Eisenkot responded directly to the political attacks. It is entirely legitimate to disagree with representatives of the Arab parties, or to strongly disapprove of some of them, Eisenkot said. He added that maligning an entire community is neither legitimate nor acceptable, and he will not allow it.
President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming a new government on Sunday. The appointment followed consultations in which a majority of political parties, including the two Arab lists, recommended Eisenkot for the role.
Rightwing ally Avigdor Lieberman stated he will back out of the coalition if Arab Israelis are part of it. If Eisenkot fails to form a government within 28 days, he may request a 14-day extension, after which the mandate could pass to Netanyahu.
