Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of ‘racist’ campaign against Arab Israelis

Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has vehemently defended the country's Arab citizens against what he perceives as a "racist" campaign led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister has alleged, without any proof, electoral fraud by Arab-led parties in the October 27 election and criticised them for not labeling Hamas as a "terror group" following the October 7 attack on Israel, which all of the Hamas leaders have condemned.

Eisenkot took to X on Friday to state that "Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story" and that they have been subjected to a "racist and aggressive campaign of delegitimisation, fuelled by the outgoing prime minister and those around him for political purposes." He emphasized that while differing opinions and revulsion towards some Arab political representatives are acceptable, an entire sector cannot be slandered.

Aramaic-majority parties triumphed in the recent elections, securing a record 19 seats and emerging as potential kingmakers in the formation of the next government. President Isaac Herzog appointed Eisenkot to form a new government on Sunday after consultations with various political parties, including the Arab lists, recommending him for the task.

His four-party alliance won 48 seats, while Netanyahu's bloc secured 53, failing to secure the necessary 61 seats for a parliamentary majority. This left the Arab-led parties in a position to potentially assist Eisenkot in forming a government. However, Eisenkot has ruled out collaborating with these parties, which would provide him with a 67-seat majority.

The opposition leader, who ran as Netanyahu's main rival, has six weeks to form a new government, a mandate he expressed a desire to fulfill as soon as possible, stating that "it would be a grave mistake not to do so."