'Long road ahead': Eisenkot beats Netanyahu 67-46 in backing but govt test looms

Israel's Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot has secured the backing of 67 members of the Knesset to receive the mandate to form Israel's next government. This has also put him ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, despite the strong endorsement, Eisenkot faces a difficult task in building a coalition. Several parties that are backing his candidature are also unwilling to join his government. Eisenkot secured the support during consultations with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday, after the Arab-led Joint List unanimously decided to recommend him for the prime ministerial mandate. He has reiterated his goal of forming a "national emergency government" to bring political stability to Israel. In a post on X, Eisenkot said the first round of discussions with the opposition parties had concluded with an absolute majority of recommendations in his favour. He, however, acknowledged that the road to forming a government remained long. "First round of talks and meetings this week with the Change and Repair parties. This evening, the round of consultations at the President's Residence was completed with an absolute majority of recommenders for the purpose of receiving the mandate from the President of the State to form a government. The goal: The establishment of a national emergency government that will return our dear country to safety and sanity. The road ahead of us is still long; we are very determined. We will do it, and we will succeed," he wrote. Eisenkot's 67 endorsements comprise 48 lawmakers from the Jewish-led opposition bloc, including Yashar, Together, The Democrats and Yisrael Beiteinu. The Ra'am party contributed eight seats, while the Joint List added 11. Netanyahu, meanwhile, received recommendations from only 46 lawmakers, down from the 53 seats previously expected to back him. His traditional ally, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), refused to recommend either candidate, leaving the prime minister with a reduced tally. According to a report by Times of Israel, the Joint List's decision proved crucial in giving Eisenkot a decisive lead over Netanyahu. The party had earlier indicated that it might abstain but eventually announced its support during Thursday's consultations. Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen defended the move, saying the party wanted to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power. "We will do everything to remove the greatest threat to all of us, which is the continuation of the rule of Netanyahu and his Kahanist partners," he said in a post on X.

Despite crossing the 61-seat majority mark during the presidential consultations, Eisenkot's endorsements do not necessarily translate into support for an actual governing coalition. The Joint List has made clear that it has significant policy disagreements with parts of the Jewish opposition's platform. It has also ruled out formally joining an Eisenkot-led coalition, although it could support the government from outside. The Times of Israel reported that only 48 of the 67 lawmakers who recommended Eisenkot are currently prepared to work together without conditions. This is five fewer than the 53-seat bloc Netanyahu was expected to command before UTJ withheld its recommendation. The possibility of securing UTJ's support also presents difficulties. The ultra-Orthodox party is a key player in the dispute over exemptions from military service for Haredi men. Its demands on the issue are at odds with the positions of several parties in Eisenkot's camp. Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman has also ruled out forming a government that depends on support from Arab parties, making it harder for Eisenkot to rely on the Joint List and Ra'am. The Times of Israel noted that Netanyahu and his allies could also use the prospect of an opposition government relying on Arab party support to undermine Eisenkot's political ambitions. The Likud-led campaign questioning the legitimacy of Arab political participation could intensify if such an arrangement takes shape. Eisenkot now has the political momentum, but converting the recommendations into a workable majority will be his biggest challenge. Unlike Netanyahu, who has a long record of navigating complex coalition negotiations, Eisenkot has relatively little experience in political horse-trading.

Although Eisenkot received recommendations from more than the 61 lawmakers required for a Knesset majority, the Israeli President Herzog has not yet formally assigned him the mandate to form the government. According to ANI, the president will hold further consultations with political parties before deciding on Sunday whom to task with forming the next government. According to the Times of Israel report, Herzog had also attempted to explore the possibility of a national unity arrangement during Thursday's meetings. However, Eisenkot's camp signalled its opposition to sharing power with Netanyahu.