Natan Eshel Reportedly Urged Abbas Not to Back an Eisenkot Government

Natan Eshel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former chief of staff and a close associate, reportedly repeatedly approached Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas before, during and after the election, seeking to discourage parliamentary support for a government led by Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot. The contacts were disclosed on November 9. Likud said Netanyahu was surprised to learn of the exchanges and had neither known about nor authorized them. An early exchange reportedly concerned whether Ra'am would allow Eisenkot to pass a conscription law in the Knesset. Abbas answered that the party would wait for the election results before deciding. After the results, Eshel reportedly asked whether Ra'am would help Eisenkot, without receiving an answer. A later approach asked whether the party would assist Eisenkot in parliament despite his opposition to including it in his coalition. Ra'am reportedly is currently leaving the approaches unanswered while keeping the channel open. Asked for comment, Eshel initially said he had cut contact with Abbas, did not trust him and considered him dangerous to Israel. After being presented with documentation, Eshel said: "No messages were conveyed." He said he had asked several Arabs whether they would support someone who did not want them in his coalition and was using them. According to Eshel, Abbas and others replied that they would act in their own interests. Eshel opened a political contact channel between Netanyahu and Abbas in 2019. Those contacts later included exchanges at the prime minister's Balfour residence.