Israel First Party can unite Netanyahu, Eisenkot to govern together, Haskel tells 'Post'

Israel First Party leader MK Sharren Haskel has outlined a strategy to form a broad Zionist coalition government after the upcoming elections, requiring only six Knesset seats. Her plan aims to unite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc with the opposition, led by Gadi Eisenkot, to prevent reliance on haredi or Arab parties.

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I want to build a bloc of six mandates that will not allow Netanyahu to build a bloc with the ultra-Orthodox and will not allow Eisenkot to build a bloc with the Arabs.

Haskel stated her intention to create a bloc that forces both Netanyahu and Eisenkot to collaborate, emphasizing that this unity is crucial to escape a cycle of division and focus on national priorities like security, the economy, and education. She believes her party can act as a kingmaker, compelling the major political factions to work together.

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I’m not in the pocket of either of them, and I’m going to force both of them at the end of the day to sit together.

The party leader specifically ruled out cooperation with left-wing politician Yair Golan, citing his past remarks about the IDF and Israeli soldiers as damaging to Israel's international standing. Haskel asserted that she has had to contend with the fallout from Golan's statements in her own extensive interactions with foreign media.

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They have to sit together. Otherwise, we continue in the cycle of hatred, of poisoning our people, of division, and of concentrating on one thing: a person instead of security, a person instead of the economy, a person instead of education.

Haskel recently resigned from the government in protest against legislation that freezes the arrests of haredi draft evaders, highlighting her opposition to policies that critics argue encourage draft evasion amid IDF shortages.

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When I see this map, I know we have to stop this political math of camps, and we have to build Israel first as people who want to see security first, the economy first, before personalized politics.