Eisenkot should unite with Palestinian Israeli parties to oust Netanyahu and reject his exclusionary politics
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial. "The Guardian view on Israel’s elections: Netanyahu lost his mandate. If opponents unite, he’ll lose power too | Editorial | The Guardian." October 28, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Netanyahu's side lost its majority, but he's still in office, and the opposition can finish the job only if it teams up with Arab-led parties. The Guardian says Eisenkot should do so rather than accept Netanyahu's racist framing, because refusing would let Netanyahu cling on or claim victory and would betray Israel's democratic claims.
Conclusion
Gadi Eisenkot and his allies should reject Netanyahu's racist exclusion of Arab voters and work with Palestinian Israeli parties to form a government that removes Netanyahu from power, treating every vote and citizen as equal.
Premises
- Most voters backed Netanyahu's opponents, and his bloc has fallen below the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority, so he has lost his electoral mandate even though he retains power for now.
- Palestinian Israeli parties surged and are projected to nearly double their seats, and they have signalled openness to cooperation, with a precedent in Ra'am joining the coalition that unseated Netanyahu in 2021.
- Netanyahu's campaign relied on fear and racist division ("the right or Palestine", accusing Palestinian citizens of trying to 'steal the election'), and his record includes security failures, attacks on the judiciary, enabling ultra-right settler violence, and a destabilising war on Iran.
- Netanyahu's distinction between Jewish and Arab votes is hypocritical, since he claims a Zionist majority while depending on non-Zionist Haredi parties and has himself reportedly courted Ra'am.
- Without opposition unity, Netanyahu may call another election, use his incumbent advantages, push Trump toward renewed conflict with Iran, and portray the outcome as an ideological victory, while Eisenkot would earn no gratitude from supporters for failing to remove him.
- Israel defines itself as both Jewish and democratic, which requires treating every citizen's vote as equal.
Assumptions
- Excluding Arab-led parties from coalition-building is illegitimate and discriminatory rather than a defensible political or ideological choice.
- Removing Netanyahu from power is an overriding good that justifies the political risks of cooperating with Palestinian Israeli parties.
- A coalition including or backed by Arab-led parties is arithmetically and politically feasible once the final vote tallies are in.
- Eisenkot's voters will ultimately punish inaction more than cooperation with Arab parties.
- Eisenkot cares about democratic principle and has a real choice between a unity government with Netanyahu and working with Arab parties.
- Netanyahu's characterisation of the opposition as aligned with 'Palestine' would not be vindicated by such a coalition.