The Joint List alliance and the Ra’am party combined their 19 seats to deliver Gadi Eisenkot an anticipated 67 endorsements, comfortably clearing the 61-seat Knesset threshold. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu's 53-seat bloc fractured after the ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah faction withheld endorsements due to unpassed military exemption legislation. President Isaac Herzog is conducting party consultations before formally awarding the mandate to assemble a ruling coalition. The designated leader will have 28 days, alongside a possible two-week extension, to finalize the government or risk triggering snap elections.
Key points
Gadi Eisenkot holds a decisive lead beyond the 61-seat threshold to receive the president…: Gadi Eisenkot holds a decisive lead beyond the 61-seat threshold to receive the presidential mandate to form a government.
Benjamin Netanyahu's path to power is blocked after internal coalition fractures reduced…: Benjamin Netanyahu's path to power is blocked after internal coalition fractures reduced his working bloc to just 53 seats.
President Isaac Herzog will grant the selected nominee up to 42 total days to successfull…: President Isaac Herzog will grant the selected nominee up to 42 total days to successfully form a coalition before fresh elections are triggered.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament in last week’s general election.
The Joint List alliance of Arab-led parties says it will back Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a new government after last week’s election.
“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.
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Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament in last week’s general election, a result that could give them significant influence over the formation of the next government.
Once the Joint List’s 11 lawmakers formally submit their recommendation, Eisenkot is expected to have the backing of 67 lawmakers, exceeding the 61-seat…
Combined with an endorsement from the Arab-led party Ra'am, the move brings the total number of lawmakers backing Eisenkot to 67 in the 120-seat Knesset, dealing a significant blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to remain in power. Together, the two Arab-led parties secured a record 19 seats in the 27 October election, while Netanyahu's right-wing bloc won 53 seats and Eisenkot's opposition alliance secured 48. The Joint List said its unanimous decision was driven by public demands to prevent Netanyahu…
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