Netanyahu rants against Arab MKs at Knesset toast, pleads for unity government

Israel's newly-elected parliament convened on Tuesday, with Gadi Eisenkot leading a left-to-right bloc aiming to quickly form a new government. The coalition will have control over the agenda, despite neither Eisenkot nor Benjamin Netanyahu holding a majority alone. Eisenkot, a 66-year-old former military chief, vowed to form a national-emergency government as swiftly as possible.

President Isaac Herzog, opening the session, urged all sides to work together and avoid another election in the deeply polarized country. Nearly 80% of the Israeli population voted in the Oct 27 election, supporting Eisenkot's bid to form a coalition within 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.

Eisenkot's allies plan to tackle key priorities, such as a commission to investigate security failures during the Oct 7 Hamas attack, which claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israelis. The parliament speaker position has been filled by Matan Kahana, a former senior military figure who faced conflicts with ultra-Orthodox Jews in the past.

Avigdor Liberman, a right-wing member of Eisenkot's bloc, is expected to chair the foreign affairs and defense committee. However, Liberman has stated he will not join a government that relies on Arab-Israeli parties, even if they support the coalition from the outside. Arab-Israeli lawmakers, who won a record number of seats in the election, are united in their opposition to Netanyahu's accusations of supporting Hamas and accepting foreign funding.

Liberman, a former aide to Netanyahu turned critic, plans to investigate allegations of foreign funding to Israeli-Arab parties. Mansour Abbas, leader of the Israeli-Arab party Raam, rejected Netanyahu's accusations of fraud and emphasized Israel's aspiration to a two-state solution with the Palestinians.