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Joint List backing could give Eisenkot support of 67 lawmakers for premiership
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
The Joint List has confirmed it will recommend opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form Israel’s next government, adding its 11 lawmakers to support already pledged by the Arab-led Ra’am party. Their backing could give Eisenkot the support of 67 lawmakers, putting him above the 61-seat majority threshold as President Isaac Herzog consults party leaders.
Arab-led parties won a record 19 of the Knesset’s 120 seats: 11 for the Joint List and eight for Ra’am. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, though a faction within United Torah Judaism says it will recommend neither candidate. Herzog will choose a nominee after consultations; that person will have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a government.
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In short
- Joint List will recommend Eisenkot to form a government.
- His potential backing reaches 67 lawmakers, above the 61-seat threshold.
- Herzog will choose a nominee after consulting party leaders.
How this story developed
- 1 hour ago The Joint List’s recommendation, alongside Ra’am’s, could put Eisenkot above the 61-seat majority threshold in coalition talks, while Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats and Herzog’s nominee will have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a government.
- 1 hour ago The Joint List said it would recommend opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form Israel’s next government, joining Ra’am’s backing and potentially giving him 67 supporters in the 120-seat Knesset as President Isaac Herzog began consulting party leaders.
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The case for
Recommending Eisenkot gives Arab-led parties a chance to influence who is asked to form a government and to signal that their voters’ representation matters in national politics. Their support could help produce a parliamentary majority and a government able to pursue policies backed by those lawmakers, while the recommendation itself does not guarantee that they will join the government.
The case against
A president’s choice of nominee should reflect not only a numerical majority of recommendations but also the likelihood of forming a stable government, so lawmakers may question whether this backing can translate into a workable coalition. Some may also object to relying on parties whose policy priorities or positions differ sharply from those of potential coalition partners, and argue that such differences could complicate governing.
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Originally published by Al Jazeera as “Joint List says it will back Eisenkot to form Israel’s next government”.