Gadi Eisenkot sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after the Israeli leader attacked Arab lawmakers in a divisive speech, The New York Times reported. The report, by Adam Rasgon, said Eisenkot's criticism accused Netanyahu of fueling hostility against Arabs.

The Guardian reported, in a story credited to AFP, that Eisenkot, described as an Israeli prime ministerial hopeful, accused Netanyahu on Friday of fuelling a “racist” campaign against the country’s Arab minority.

According to The Guardian, Netanyahu sought to delegitimise the community’s lawmakers by linking them to Hamas, and Eisenkot’s statement was a rare instance of a prominent Jewish political leader taking a strong stand in defence of Arab Israelis.

The two reports differ in how they identify Netanyahu’s position. The New York Times described him as prime minister, while The Guardian described him as caretaker premier. Both reports agree that Eisenkot's criticism came after Netanyahu's remarks about Arab lawmakers.

The summaries available for both reports are brief. They do not describe a response from Netanyahu or his office, and they do not give the full text of Eisenkot's statement or the specifics of the speech beyond the descriptions above.

Sources: The New York Times: Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Fueling ‘Racist’ Hostility Against Arabs; The Guardian: Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of ‘racist’ campaign against Israel’s Arab minority.