Netanyahu Reportedly Seeks Two More Years Through Unity Government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to remain in office for at least the next two years through a unity arrangement, according to a report published on November 10. The reported strategy links that period to the remaining time in U.S. President Donald Trump’s term. The report describes disagreements surrounding a possible unity government, including whether to establish a state commission of inquiry and who would hold the justice and communications portfolios. It also identifies senior appointments as points of contention, naming the attorney general, state comptroller and state attorney. A negotiating meeting planned between Ronen Manelis, representing Gadi Eisenkot, and attorney Michael Rabello, a Netanyahu associate, was canceled after Netanyahu’s November 10 speech. Rabello had withdrawn his candidacy for state comptroller a week earlier, according to the earlier report identifying the intended negotiators. In his own statement on November 10, Eisenkot criticized Netanyahu’s speech as divisive and called for urgent action to establish a government. “We must act urgently to form a national emergency government,” Eisenkot said.