Yashar rejects unity govt option after majority backing; urges Herzog to give Eisenkot premiership

Yashar representatives on Thursday rejected a unity arrangement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after getting majority backing and urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to give party leader Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a government, arguing that Israel needs new leadership.

Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen said Israel needs a stable government quickly and that Yashar will welcome any party that accepts its principles. Given the high voter turnout in last week’s election, he said, “It would be wrong to ignore the people’s desire for change and go to another round of elections.”

When asked about forming a government given the opposition’s lack of a Knesset majority, Cohen says Yashar will first negotiate with the parties already partnered with it in the opposition bloc, forming a core that could later be joined by others who accept the bloc’s principles.

“I hope there will be no surprises,” he said, “and if there are, only pleasant ones.”

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Earlier, the Joint List said it will recommend Yashar's chairman, Gadi Eisenkot, as the next prime minister to President Isaac Herzog.

Eisenkot already had the backing of more Knesset members than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but after the Joint List announcement, he will get the backing of 67 MKs in the next Knesset, where 61 is the majority mark.

The Joint List said the unanimous decision between its three factions comes “in response to the public demand to prevent Netanyahu and his government from returning to power.”

‘Netanyahu an obstacle to unity‘

MK Orit Farkash-Hacohen said giving Eisenkot the mandate is “nothing less than a matter of saving the State of Israel.” She called Netanyahu an obstacle to unity, saying his leadership brought Israel to “a historic low” in social division.

“Unity is not a slogan,” she said, challenging Herzog to name a promise Netanyahu had kept in past unity coalitions.

Asked about forming a broad national government, incoming MK Shaul Meridor said the outgoing government had lost public trust. “The public told the October 7 government: ‘Go home,'” he says.

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Rally in Jerusalem calls for unity govt

A rally outside the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where President Isaac Herzog has been consulting with heads of political parties about who should be the next prime minister, called for the formation of a broad unity government.

Chanting a rhyming Hebrew slogan that translates to “Unity or a nightmare,” about 200 people, mainly supporters of the right wing, waved flags and held signs calling for a government that includes both Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.

“Gadi, we are here to tell you that the nation of Israel demands unity,” said one organizer over a megaphone. “Take responsibility and act, for the benefit of everyone.”