Eisenkot rules out serving under Netanyahu, even in rotation deal

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot on Wednesday categorically ruled out serving in a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even under a rotating premiership arrangement, pledging to resign within an hour if he broke that commitment.

“I unequivocally pledge that I will not serve under Netanyahu, not even in a rotation arrangement,” the former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff told Radio 103FM. “If that happens, record this: I’ll resign an hour later.”

Israel is scheduled to hold a general election on Oct. 27. Yashar’s candidate list includes former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Yoram Cohen in second place, followed by former minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen and social entrepreneur Adi Altschuler. Former ministers Matan Kahana and Chili Tropper occupy the fifth and sixth spots, respectively.

Kahana previously told JNS that he hoped the next government would include “all the Zionist factions that believe in a democratic and Jewish State of Israel, believe in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, and support service for all.”

Shaul Meridor, seventh on Yashar’s list, told JNS that the party’s priorities included lowering the cost of living, service and state education for all, and rehabilitating the north and south after the war. Yashar’s 40-member candidate slate is evenly divided between men and women.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has warned that an Eisenkot-led government would evacuate Jewish settlements and farms in Judea and Samaria, citing remarks by Cohen opposing construction undertaken illegally or without prior government approval. Cohen said he supported legal, government-approved construction and questioned whether all the construction advanced by Smotrich met those requirements.

Cohen also rejected Netanyahu’s warning that an opposition government would establish a Palestinian state, saying he personally viewed Palestinian statehood as a security threat and that discussing it was currently unrealistic.