Israeli Politicsupdated 54m ago3 min read
Joint List Recommends Gadi Eisenkot to Form Israel’s Next Government
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Arab-majority lists back Eisenkot to form the next government, supporting 67 MKs. Ra’am and United List endorsement boosts Eisenkot over Netanyahu in mandate odds.
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Eisenkot gains 67
The Joint List alliance of Arab-led parties said it would recommend Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a new government after last week’s election, and it said it would inform President of the State Isaac Herzog “this evening” of its decision. The Joint List said it had 11 lawmakers, and it argued that once its recommendation is formally submitted Eisenkot is expected to have the backing of 67 lawmakers, exceeding the 61-seat majority threshold in the Knesset. The Joint List “bagged 11 seats” and backed Eisenkot to form the next government, while Raam also endorsed Eisenkot after winning eight seats.
The United Torah Judaism party declined to recommend any member of Knesset to form a government, and France 24 said it informed Herzog “that it has decided not to recommend any member of Knesset to form a government.” The president’s consultations continued after the October 27 election, and the sources said Herzog will choose the candidate he considers best placed to assemble a coalition, almost certainly Netanyahu or Eisenkot, with a nominee then having 28 days to form a government and a possible 14-day extension.
Netanyahu loses UTJ
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats may not yield 53 endorsements because Degel HaTorah, which holds four of United Torah Judaism’s seven seats, said it would recommend neither candidate. Netanyahu has claimed repeatedly and without evidence that Arab parties committed fraud during the elections with foreign backing, and the prime minister and his Likud party cited arrests of three political activists who allegedly bribed voters before polls opened. The Jerusalem Post said Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats, and it said Arab parties hold 19 seats with the Joint List and Ra’am securing a combined 19 seats.
The Jerusalem Post also said UTJ abstains, leaving Eisenkot with support of 67 MKs including Arab parties while Netanyahu holds 46, and it said the Central Elections Committee reported a final voter turnout of 77.7% when polls closed at 10:00 p.m. Herzog warning against smearing voters who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, and it said Herzog told reporters he had “great respect” for the country’s Palestinian minority, which makes up about 20 percent of the population.
Coalition math and next risk
Eisenkot needs 61 votes in the Knesset to form a government, and Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said it means he needs the votes of Palestinian-Israeli parties that he does not want to partner up with. Odeh said Eisenkot will most likely have to reach some sort of deal so that Palestinian-Israeli parties “abstain at the very least,” to make sure his government is sworn in. The Joint List’s endorsement “widens that lead” and gave Eisenkot support from a majority of the 120-member parliament, while the recommendations do not necessarily mean the parties will join his coalition.
President Isaac Herzog carried on the consultation process for the second day and was poised to meet Netanyahu and Eisenkot on Thursday evening to decide which of the two men to pick to form a government. The Jerusalem Post said the designated candidate would initially have 28 days to form a coalition with a possible 14-day extension, and it said that if no candidate succeeds the political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election.