Gadi Eisenkot distances himself from Ra'am's demand: "A Palestinian state will not be established"

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot sharply distanced himself this evening (Saturday night) from the demand of Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas for Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state. The remarks come after Abbas presented this political demand in his speech at his party's national conference held in Tayibe. In response, Eisenkot clarified that a Palestinian state does not exist and pledged that in any government formed, a Palestinian state will not be established.

The sharp response reveals once again the fundamental disagreements within the bloc opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially regarding the Arab party whose votes they may need to form a coalition. Earlier, Abbas declared that his party would work for Israel and the United States to recognize a Palestinian state, claiming that the state already exists and that most of the world already recognizes it.

Eisenkot's words mark an attempt to distance himself from the demand set by Ra'am, but they do not answer the central political question regarding future cooperation. Abbas himself clarified at his party's conference that the possibility of joining the next coalition remains on the table for him. It remains to be seen how Eisenkot intends to reconcile his stance against a Palestinian state with the possibility of forming a government with the support of the Arab party.