Former Diplomat: Netanyahu Cannot Form Government, Citing 10-Seat Hurdle

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat who advised Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres, asserted on October 28 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot form a government. Pinkas, who now works as a political analyst, stated the assessment emphatically during an interview with NPR, repeating that the Prime Minister lacks the necessary coalition partners.

The political landscape in Israel has shifted following a strong electoral showing by Arab-led parties. These parties draw much of their support from Palestinian citizens of Israel. The result has created a dilemma for the opposition, which must decide whether to include these groups in a new governing body.

Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot have publicly rejected the idea of working with Arab-led parties. Netanyahu described the prospect of a government relying on their support as a shame and a disgrace. Eisenkot has similarly indicated an unwillingness to form a formal partnership with these factions.

Pinkas criticized this reluctance as myopic and reckless. He outlined two potential paths for Eisenkot: forming a direct coalition with the Arab-led parties or establishing a minority government with their outside support. The latter option would allow the parties to back major legislation and confidence votes without formally joining the cabinet.

The analyst attributed the growing support for these parties to rising crime and murder rates in Arab communities, specifically violence linked to organized crime groups. He claimed the current government willfully ignored these issues by failing to deploy police or investigate the killings. Pinkas also challenged the argument that partnering with non-Zionist Arab parties would undermine Israel's identity as a Jewish state, noting that ultra-Orthodox parties often describe themselves as non-Zionist as well.

The next step in the process involves the opposition leaders determining if they will accept outside support from the Arab-led parties. If they remain unwilling, Pinkas believes the path to a stable government remains blocked for the current Prime Minister.