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The Joint List has 11 lawmakers, while Ra’am holds 8 seats. Together, the two Arab-led alliances account for 19 seats which is a record for Arab-led parties in Israel’s parliament.
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, speaks following the exit poll at his party headquarters, on the evening of Israel’s national election, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)
Arab-led parties in Israel on Thursday moved to back opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot as the country’s next prime minister, potentially giving his bloc the support of 67 lawmakers in the 120-member Knesset and putting it above the majority threshold required to form a government.
The Joint List alliance announced on Thursday that it would recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog as the candidate tasked with forming the next government. The announcement came after Ra’am, another Arab-led party, said earlier that it would also back him.
“The Joint List announced today, Thursday, that it will inform the President of the State, Isaac Herzog, this evening of its decision to recommend that Gadi Eisenkot be tasked with forming the government,” the alliance said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.
The Joint List has 11 lawmakers, while Ra’am holds eight seats. Together, the two Arab-led alliances account for 19 seats which is a record for Arab-led parties in Israel’s parliament.
Once the Joint List formally submits its recommendation, Eisenkot is expected to have the backing of 67 lawmakers, comfortably above the 61-seat majority needed in the Knesset.
The development could prove decisive in the battle to form Israel’s next government, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc facing difficulties in securing enough recommendations to retain power.
Netanyahu’s bloc faces setback
At A Glance
Arab-led parties in Israel backed opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister.
The Joint List and Ra’am alliances hold a combined total of 19 seats in the Knesset.
Eisenkot is expected to secure the backing of 67 lawmakers, exceeding the 61-seat majority threshold.
Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats, while Degel HaTorah announced it would recommend neither candidate.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee certified the election results and found no evidence of fraud.
Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats, but the number of lawmakers expected to recommend him as prime minister could be lower.
Degel HaTorah, which holds four of the seven seats won by United Torah Judaism, has said it would recommend neither candidate. The ultra-Orthodox faction broke with Netanyahu over his coalition’s failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi men from military service, The Times of Israel reported, as cited by Al Jazeera.
The shift leaves Eisenkot with a potentially stronger position as Herzog begins consultations with political parties before deciding whom to invite to form the next government.
Netanyahu and his Likud party have repeatedly alleged, without presenting evidence, that Arab parties were involved in electoral fraud with foreign backing.
They have pointed to several cases, including the arrests of three political activists suspected of bribing voters before polling began. The activists are suspected of links to Ra’am, which has denied any involvement.
Likud has also warned against Zionist parties cooperating with Arab-led parties in a governing coalition, describing such an arrangement as “dangerous to Israel”.
Netanyahu has separately argued that allowing Arab parties into government would “dismantle” Israel.
Election authorities find no evidence of fraud
The allegations have come under scrutiny after Israel’s Central Elections Committee certified the election results on Wednesday, finding no evidence of fraud.
President Herzog has accepted the results and begun consultations with party representatives over whom to nominate to form the next government.
Herzog has also backed an investigation into suspected interference but cautioned against casting suspicion on Palestinian citizens of Israel, who account for around 20% of the country’s population.
“I condemn the coarseness and racist expressions that we have heard recently,” he said, adding that he had “great respect” for Israel’s Palestinian minority.
On Wednesday, Herzog met representatives of Religious Zionism, Zehut, Shas and Yisrael Beytenu. In a post on X, he said he had received their recommendations on which Knesset member should be assigned the task of forming the government.
Consultations are expected to continue on Thursday.
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Ask News18The Joint List alliance and the Ra’am party announced they would recommend opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog to form the next government.
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Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a chief sub editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has …Read More
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