Benjamin Netanyahu says "those whose goal is the destruction of the Jewish state" about Arab parties

After Israel’s new Knesset was sworn in Tuesday, Gadi Eisenkot—the former military chief now trying to assemble a governing coalition—vowed to undo many of Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies. Netanyahu, staying on as caretaker prime minister during the transition, has sought to cast doubt on the official vote tally and repeated claims, not substantiated, that Arab political parties had illegitimately taken the election. In a speech after the ceremony, he questioned the trustworthiness of Arab politicians and attacked opposition leaders from Jewish parties who had signaled openness to working with Arab political parties. Eisenkot has kept such cooperation open if those parties accept Israel’s Jewish identity and designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. The coalition talks could end Netanyahu’s long tenure; he also faces a corruption trial and possible findings about security failures before the Oct. 7 attacks.