Netanyahu slammed for 'hate-filled' Knesset speech as Eisenkot quits coalition talks

Israel's Knesset was sworn in on Tuesday in Jerusalem, two weeks after Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right bloc lost the election. The new parliament seats an unprecedented 19 members from the Palestinian-led Joint List alliance and the Ra'am party. Netanyahu marked the occasion by demanding a national unity government with his main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot.

The prime minister opened with Iran, calling it a great threat and saying the only permanent way to remove it is by toppling the regime of the ayatollahs. Then he turned on the Palestinian-led parties, saying Israel must set aside every other consideration and accusing Eisenkot's broad bloc of otherwise wanting a government that includes terror supporters and haters of Israel.

Netanyahu insisted he was not talking about Palestinian citizens as a whole, noting some voted for his Likud party. He then claimed falsely that both Ra'am and the Joint List agree the Jewish state must be destroyed — parties that include Jewish MPs and have repeatedly called for a two-state solution. He also pushed for a Jewish-only government under his leadership, even though his bloc holds just 53 seats.

The speech drew fire from across Eisenkot's bloc. Centre-right Together alliance leader Naftali Bennett interrupted him, reportedly asking about a State Commission of Inquiry and demanding: why not declare Qatar an enemy state, and what about your Qatari advisers? Centre-left Democrats leader Yair Golan walked out mid-speech. Ynet counted Netanyahu saying Jewish 20 times and unity four times, while words tied to Palestinians — including Palestinians, Arabs, terrorism and Caliphate — came up 36 times.

Haaretz reported that Netanyahu and his allies in Israeli media had laid the groundwork for an attack on the Palestinian vote, and that Shin Bet chief David Zini opened investigations into election fraud and foreign interference over the past two weeks. Eisenkot, tasked with forming a governing coalition earlier this week, called it a delusional, divisive, hate-filled and shameful speech that exploited the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset. He said on X he was now even more convinced Netanyahu is unfit to remain in office for even one minute more, and Israel Hayom reported he cancelled coalition talks with Likud.

Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas told Channel 12 he was astounded the prime minister would exploit a state occasion to lie, incite and spread blood libel about the Arab parties, adding that his party stands for peace and a two-state solution. The Joint List branded the speech deranged, inciting and racist, and vowed to do everything in its power to send Netanyahu's government to the dustbin of history.