The Arab-led Joint List said Thursday it would recommend opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot for Israel’s government-forming mandate, a move that could bring his total to 67 recommendations as President Isaac Herzog resumes party consultations.
Anadolu Agency reported that consultations with Knesset factions resumed Thursday. The expected total would put Eisenkot six recommendations above the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Recommendations indicate which candidate parties want Herzog to appoint, but do not guarantee those parties will join a governing coalition.
The Oct. 27 election left Israel’s political blocs short of a majority. The Central Elections Committee’s final results gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats, Jewish opposition parties 48 and Arab-led parties 19, figures covered in EconoTimes’ earlier election report.
The expected 67 recommendations come from combining the 48 opposition seats with the 19 seats held by Arab-led parties. That total clears the parliamentary threshold, but Herzog must still decide which lawmaker has the best chance of forming a government.
The Joint List said its decision was intended to prevent Netanyahu’s return and widen Eisenkot’s lead in recommendations. The Times of Israel reported that the move could also make a unity government less likely, though recommendations alone do not determine who will serve in the next cabinet.
Yashar, Eisenkot’s party, and several opposition parties had already backed him, The Times of Israel reported. Likud was expected to recommend Netanyahu when it met Herzog later Thursday, the newspaper reported. The Joint List said it planned to formally notify Herzog of its choice the same day.
After party consultations end, Israeli law requires Herzog to assign the task to the Knesset member he judges most likely to form a government. The president’s office says the selected lawmaker has 28 days, with a possible extension of up to 14 more days, as outlined in EconoTimes’ earlier account of the consultation process.
