Israeli prime ministerial hopeful Gadi Eisenkot has condemned what he described as a "racist and aggressive campaign of delegitimisation" against the country's Arab citizens. This follows caretaker prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's accusations of electoral fraud by Arab parties, which Israeli electoral authorities have rejected as unsubstantiated.
Netanyahu has repeatedly targeted Arab parties and Palestinian citizens of Israel, accusing them of manipulating elections and having links to Hamas, after his party's electoral performance was disappointing. Arab citizens, who are mostly of Palestinian descent, make up more than 20% of Israel's population.
Eisenkot stated on Friday that "Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story," adding that attempts to marginalise and collectively vilify them violate principles of statesmanship. His statement is considered a rare instance of a prominent Jewish political leader publicly defending Arab Israelis.
President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming a new government on Sunday, after a majority of political parties, including the two Arab lists, recommended him. The two Arab-majority parties, Ra'am and the Joint List, secured 19 seats in the October election, potentially making them key to Eisenkot forming a governing coalition.