Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, number 3 on the slate of the National Unity Party, told Channel 12 News on Friday that he still stands behind his statement that a Prime Minister whose party won just 12 seats in the election is illegitimate.
"I don't regret what I said," Eizenkot said. "I thought it then and I still think it today - a Prime Minister should have a broad base of legitimacy and certainly not a narrow one."
On the National Unity Party’s downtrend in the polls compared to the surge of the Religious Zionism Party, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, Eizenkot said, "I also saw 13 and 14 seats in the polls, I believe that the path we are taking will advance Israel to a better place. This is not the time for conclusions, there are 10 more days [before the election] and efforts are being made to reach the required achievement."
When asked if he is not disappointed by the polls after being courted by several parties before ultimately choosing Benny Gantz’s party, he replied, "I didn't think I was a game changer, I decided to go in and I don't have the privilege of giving up." Eizenkot also denied that he would step down if the National Unity Party remains in the opposition after the elections: "I came to serve the people of Israel and hope to be part of the government, but if we go to the opposition then I will serve Israel from there."
When asked what he would do if the Netanyahu bloc wins the required 61 seats to form a government, the former Chief of Staff stated, "I hope we don't get to that point where the engine will be Ben Gvir and Smotrich. This looks like a bad deal where Smotrich and Ben Gvir bring a deal to change laws that benefit the Likud chairman, and the Likud allows them to lead the country to a binational state."
"To think that Smotrich will be the Minister of Defense, when he served [in the IDF] only a short time and wanted to abolish the compulsory service for women - this is the way to lead Israel into chaos," Eizenkot charged. "I hope that this, which seems imaginary at the moment, will not become reality."
On the "disappearance" of Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar from the National Unity Party’s election campaign, Eizenkot said, "There is a very good relationship between Gantz and Sa'ar. There is an ongoing dialogue and joint action, including joint meetings. There is no connection between the claims and the truth."
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)