Israel's Defence Minister urges national unity amid ongoing war with Iran

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday reiterated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus call for national unity amid the ongoing war with Iran stressing that Israel must remain united in the face of external threats even as President Isaac Herzog has tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the countrys next governmentAccording to The Time of Israel Katz speaking at a memorial service for Israeli soldiers who lost their lives during the 1956 Suez War warned that Iran continued to pursue its nuclear ambitions and posed a serious threat to Israels securityIran is seeking to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons alongside other serious efforts that pose a real danger to the State of Israel We cannot accept these threats Katz said as quoted by The Time of IsraelEmphasising the need for preparedness against potential threats the Defence Minister said Israel must be ready to respond to every possible scenario to protect its citizensIt is our duty to be prepared for every scenario and to act as necessary to protect Israeli citizens Ahead of the major missions still before us we must be united he addedKatz further stressed that internal political differences should not undermine Israels collective resolve against its adversariesIsraels enemies need to know that even when we have disagreements among ourselves we stand together determined and united against those who threaten our existence he saidThis is a time for unity responsibility and mutual solidarity Katz further said as quoted by The Times of IsraelKatz is a member of Netanyahus Likud party His remarks come after the current Israeli Prime Minister called on parties belonging to the oppositionled change bloc headed by Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot to join a proposed national unity governmentIn a televised address on Saturday Netanyahu advocated the formation of a broad political alliance comprising Zionist factions arguing that a united leadership was necessary to address the security challenges facing Israel particularly the threat from IranNetanyahu called for the establishment of a national unity government that will include all parties of the national camp and all Zionist parties that wish to protect our country the one and only state of the Jewish peopleOutlining the objectives of the proposed arrangement Netanyahu said such a government would permanently remove the nuclear threat from Iran preserve Israel as a Jewish state and bring unity among usHowever the proposal was rejected by opposition leadersDemocratic Party Chairman Yair Golan said Netanyahus government must be replaced by a new administration focused on safeguarding Israels democracy security and futureNetanyahus government must be replaced and a government of salvation and change must be formed to safeguard Israels democracy security and future We are committed to making every effort to make this happen Golan said in a post on XThe remarks by Katz come after Israeli President Isaac Herzog has formally decided to task Eisenkot with forming the countrys next government after consultations with representatives of political factions in the 120member Knesset a major political setback for NetanyahuAccording to a statement issued by the Presidents Office on X factions representing 67 Members of the Knesset MKs recommended Eisenkot for the mandate while 46 lawmakers backed NetanyahuRepresentatives of a faction comprising seven MKs chose not to recommend either candidatePresident of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog has decided to task the chairman of the Yashar party Gadi Eisenkot with forming the government the statement readThe statement added that the decision followed consultations with political factions and discussions with Netanyahu and Eisenkot among other political figuresEisenkot a retired military chief who leads the centrist Yashar bloc is expected to receive the mandate at a ceremony at the Presidents Residence later todayFollowing the formal conferral of the mandate Eisenkot will have up to six weeks to negotiate with potential coalition partners and secure the parliamentary support required to establish a new governmentThe 67seat backing for Eisenkot includes 48 seats from the Jewishled opposition bloc comprising Yashar Together The Democrats and Yisrael Beiteinu along with eight seats from the Arab Raam party and 11 seats from the Joint ListThe Joint Lists unanimous decision to recommend Eisenkot alongside the earlier endorsement by Raam contributed to his securing majority support among the lawmakers consulted by the PresidentNetanyahu received recommendations from factions representing 46 seats down from the 53 seats secured by his rightwing bloc in the elections The ultraOrthodox United Torah Judaism UTJ party abstained from recommending either candidate marking a significant split in its longstanding alliance with NetanyahuDespite the political developments Katzs remarks underscored the governments call for unity as Israel continues to face what it describes as serious security threats from IranThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever