Netanyahu’s era winds down as Arab Joint List backs Eisenkot to form Israeli govt

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

Israel’s Arab-led Joint List alliance has announced its support for opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government, strengthening his chances of replacing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following last week’s inconclusive general election.

The alliance said on Thursday that it would formally recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog, who had been consulting political parties before deciding whom to appoint to form a government.

The decision brought the number of lawmakers recommending Eisenkot to 67 in Israel’s 120-member parliament, the Knesset, comfortably exceeding the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

The Joint List, which secured 11 seats in the October 27 election, said its decision was unanimous and intended to prevent Netanyahu and his government from returning to power.

“Although Eisenkot has received more recommendations than Netanyahu, we believe it is important to widen the gap between them,” the alliance said in a statement.

The group, however, acknowledged concerns about the opposition’s position on issues affecting Arab citizens, including political incitement and attempts to undermine the legitimacy of their participation in Israeli politics.

The endorsement followed a similar move by Ra’am, another Arab-led party with eight parliamentary seats, which had also recommended Eisenkot to form the government.

Together, the two Arab-led political groups secured a historic 19 seats in the election, giving them significant influence over the formation of Israel’s next government.

Netanyahu’s Likud party emerged as the largest individual party with 27 seats, but his right-wing and religious coalition secured only 53 seats, falling short of the parliamentary majority.

Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48 seats, leaving the Arab-led parties in a potentially decisive position.

However, the endorsements do not automatically translate into a governing coalition, as the political parties backing Eisenkot have not all committed to joining his government.

Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot have also faced political complications over cooperation with Arab-led parties, leaving uncertainty over the final shape of the next administration. Reuters reported that both politicians had so far ruled out forming a government with the two Arab-led parties, despite their recommendations.

President Herzog said after concluding consultations with the political parties on Thursday that he intended to appoint a candidate to form the government on Sunday. He said he would hold further talks with party leaders because disagreements within and between the political blocs had made it difficult to determine who could successfully form a coalition.

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