Israeli President Isaac Herzog has selected Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and former chief of the Israeli military, to form the country’s next government following the general election held on 27 October. Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a further 14-day extension.
Both Arab parties have endorsed Eisenkot to form the next government. Their support brings the number of parliamentary factions recommending him to 67, compared with 46 that recommended Netanyahu during President Herzog’s consultations.
However, securing their support does not automatically mean that the Arab parties will join an Eisenkot government. The opposition itself remains divided over whether it should cooperate with them, and Avigdor Liberman’s Israel Our Home party has repeatedly ruled out supporting a minority government dependent on Arab-party votes.
Eisenkot has also previously expressed reservations about forming a government with the Arab parties. One possible arrangement would be a minority government supported by Arab lawmakers on parliamentary votes without their parties formally joining the coalition.
Another possibility is an agreement with ultra-Orthodox parties, although this would require difficult negotiations over military service exemptions, an issue that Eisenkot and his political allies have strongly opposed.
Meanwhile, incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference, visibly panicked, urging his supporters to block at all costs the formation of an Israeli-Arab government, saying that this would turn Israel into another Paris or Brussels, dismantle Israel from within. Netanyahu is to remain Prime Minister until a new government is formed. Netanyahu is arguing that a government backed by the Israeli-Arabs would spell doom for Israel.
If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted period, President Herzog can give another candidate the opportunity to form one. Netanyahu could then be given another chance to secure a parliamentary majority.
Newsroom
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