Netanyahu Confidant Secretly Contacted Ra'am Leader to Block Rival Coalition
Close Netanyahu confidant Nathan Eshel held covert talks with Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas to prevent a Gadi Eisenkot government, as Likud claimed the prime minister was unaware.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner circle held covert talks with Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas to block the formation of a potential alternative government led by Gadi Eisenkot. According to reports, Nathan Eshel, a close confidant and former chief of staff to Netanyahu, repeatedly contacted Abbas both before and after the elections.
The outreach began ahead of the vote, with Eshel inquiring whether Ra'am would facilitate the passage of the contentious draft law under an Eisenkot-led administration. Abbas responded that his faction would await the election results before determining its stance. Despite public rhetoric from Netanyahu attacking coalitions dependent on Arab parties, Eshel renewed his contacts post-election, pressing Abbas on whether he intended to support Eisenkot in the Knesset.
Ra'am ultimately chose not to engage with the overtures and left the messages unanswered, noting that Eisenkot's camp had not sought them as formal coalition partners. When confronted with the documented communications, the Likud party issued a formal response distancing the prime minister from the initiative.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu was surprised to hear about these exchanges, and they were not conducted with his knowledge or approval."
