Jerusalem:Yesher Party Chairman and Knesset Member Gadi Eisenkot announced that he had issued instructions to cancel the negotiation meeting scheduled for Wednesday with representatives of the Likud Party, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech during the swearing-in ceremony of the 26th Knesset members.
According to Maan News Agency, Eisenkot's decision came hours after Netanyahu called for the formation of a national unity government and warned against establishing a narrow government based on the support of Arab parties.
The Yeshar party justified the cancellation of the meeting by citing what it called Netanyahu's 'divisive speech,' arguing that it had marred the opening ceremony of the Knesset and accusing him of prioritizing his political survival over the unity of Israeli society.
Ironically, the meeting was scheduled at the initiative of Eisenkot's own party, which had called on the various parties to negotiate on the basis of four principles it had put forward for forming a government, before deciding to cancel the meeting with Likud.
This development comes amid ongoing consultations regarding the formation of the next government, and in light of the possibility of forming a government based on the support of Arab parties, a step that Netanyahu warned against in his speech.