Speaking to Herzog, B’Yachad warns against unity government with partners it can’t trust

B’Yachad representatives voice skepticism about a unity government with partners they consider untrustworthy or opposed to basic democratic values, while saying they will work with any party that accepts their core principles.

During consultations with President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence, the party’s representatives recommend Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot as the next prime minister, saying they are standing by a commitment made after the election.

MK Merav Cohen calls Eisenkot “an extraordinary person” who “can form a government in Israel,” but says it will need to be stable enough to last.

“The people of Israel need this change and are hungry for it,” says incoming MK Bruria Naim Arman. “That’s the Israel we met: a people who need this repair and healing.”

When Herzog asks whether a broad unity government could lead Israel through its challenges — an idea floated involving a rotation government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud — MK Ram Ben Barak says cooperation is possible with people who hold different political views, but not with those who reject basic democratic values.

“If your worldview says that some people are worth more than others, then we can’t have a dialogue,” he says.

Cohen says sitting with people who disagree with her is “an important goal,” but that cooperation requires trust.

Cohen compares unreliable partners to the scorpion in a fable that persuades a frog to carry it across a river, then stings the frog halfway across, saying it is in its nature.

Recalling her experience in a previous unity government, she says, “The agreements were broken, one after another. Instead of helping my country, I harmed it. I learned from that. I learned not to do business with scorpions.”

In closing, incoming MK Liran Avisar Ben Horin says Israelis want security and “a government that gets up in the morning and works.” B’Yachad will do everything it can to help Eisenkot form “a government that will repair Israel,” she says.