Yashar! party chairman Gadi Eisenkot is currently working on a comprehensive plan aimed at preventing members of his Knesset slate from defecting in a scenario in which a minority government is formed by relying on the Arab parties to abstain, Channel 12 News reported.
The emerging plan is based on a two-stage mechanism. In the first stage, a binding code of ethics will be drafted, under which all candidates will commit to acting in accordance with faction discipline. An MK who feels unable to uphold this commitment for reasons of conscience would be required to return his Knesset seat and immediately resign from the Knesset.
During conversations Eisenkot held with candidates on the party slate, he made his expectations clear and noted that in the past, when he did not wish to participate in certain moves by his faction, he himself chose to return his mandate and resign.
Eisenkot made clear that if a majority of 61 MKs is not achieved, he will use the “Eisenkot Plan" - the establishment of a Zionist minority government that would rely on the Arab parties abstaining, without conducting coalition negotiations with them.
Concerns over potential defections by MKs arose against the backdrop of reservations within Eisenkot’s camp regarding several candidates who have been given reserved slots on the party slate, including Elisaf Peretz, Shira Shapira and Hili Troper.
At a previous meeting of candidates, campaign manager Ronen Manelis revealed that the possibility of requiring all candidates to sign a commitment intended to prevent future defections had been considered, but the idea was ultimately shelved.