Communists warn delays give Netanyahu chance to hold onto office, as Eisenkot tasked with forming next Israeli government

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GADI EISENKOT has been tasked with trying to form the next Israeli government by President Isaac Herzog.

Mr Herzog asked the opposition leader to begin talks on Saturday night, after he received more endorsements from MPs than incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Eisenkot has 28 days to win enough support for a Knesset majority — but it will not be straightforward. His own bloc has 48 seats to Mr Netanyahu’s 53: the balance of power is held by the Arab-led Joint List — including Hadash, which includes the Communist Party of Israel — and Ra’am.

“In order to form a government, the zionist opposition parties will have to break at least one or more of the three contradictory promises they made to their voters,” the Communist Party said at the weekend — these being the removal of Mr Netanyahu, ending exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews (reneging on this pledge might tempt some away from the Netanyahu camp), and non-co-operation with Arab parties. Mr Eisenkot, a former army chief, says he will never tolerate establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Communist Party called for agreement between the Arab parties and the zionist opposition to remove Mr Netanyahu, warning that delays will be used by the sitting PM to pursue his attempt to delegitimise the Arab vote, and that he could use a concocted emergency (such as an escalation of the Iran war) to establish a government of national unity headed by himself.

Over the weekend, Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz revealed that Major General Avi Bluth, the military commander responsible for West Bank operations, knew in advance of settler plans to invade and occupy eight Palestinian homes near Jericho, but concealed this from fellow officers.