Gadi Eisenkot has secured 67 recommendations to form Israel’s next government, passing the 61-seat majority mark in the 120-seat Knesset. The Arab-led Joint List announced on Thursday that it will recommend Eisenkot, joining Ra’am and the Jewish opposition parties behind him.
How the numbers stand
Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, is now backed by 67 lawmakers. They include 48 from the Jewish opposition parties, eight from Ra’am and 11 from the Joint List. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to receive 46 recommendations.
The count shifted after the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party declined to recommend any candidate. The party, which holds seven seats, had backed Netanyahu after the previous five elections. It told President Isaac Herzog it was not committed to either bloc.
Read more: Israel Election Final Results: Netanyahu Bloc Wins 53 Seats but Falls Short of Majority
Consultations end, mandate still open
President Herzog held two days of consultations with the parties elected on 27 October. Yashar and Netanyahu’s Likud meet him last on Thursday evening, ending the consultations.
The mandate itself has not been given yet. Herzog is not obliged to pick the candidate with the most recommendations, though tradition points to Eisenkot. Once tasked, the chosen lawmaker will have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension.
Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas urged a “lightning government”, while Eisenkot has pledged new leadership and a national emergency government. Netanyahu warned that a government dependent on Islamist parties would “tear us apart from within” and renewed his call for a broad national government led by Likud.
What the election gave
The 27 October election left Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats, the Jewish opposition with 48, and the Arab-led parties with a record 19. No side won a majority, which is why the recommendations decide who gets the first chance to form a government.
Recommendations do not themselves form a coalition. Eisenkot must still win the support of enough parties to pass 61 votes in the Knesset. Fraud claims raised by Otzma Yehudit during the consultations remain unproven, and Herzog has accepted the certified results as binding.
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