Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a major challenge to his political future after Arab-led parties threw their support behind opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, giving the former military chief the backing of 67 lawmakers in the 120-member Knesset and strengthening his claim to form the next government.
The development followed Israel's October 27 parliamentary election, which left neither Netanyahu's right-wing alliance nor Eisenkot's opposition bloc with an outright majority. The endorsement by Arab parties has shifted the balance of recommendations in Eisenkot's favour, although forming a functioning coalition remains a separate challenge.
President Isaac Herzog, who has been consulting political parties following the election, is expected to announce on Sunday which candidate will receive the mandate to attempt government formation.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ
Netanyahu's governing alliance secured 53 seats in the election, falling eight short of the 61 required for a parliamentary majority. Eisenkot's four-party opposition alliance won 48 seats, leaving it even further from the threshold without additional support.
The Arab-led parties emerged as crucial players after securing a combined 19 seats, their strongest parliamentary representation following unusually high voter turnout among Arab citizens of Israel.
The Joint List won 11 seats, while Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, secured eight.
Both parties subsequently decided to recommend Eisenkot for prime minister, bringing the number of lawmakers supporting his candidacy to 67.
The endorsements have given Eisenkot an advantage in the presidential consultations, but they do not automatically guarantee that all 67 lawmakers will support the same governing coalition.
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
The decision by the Joint List and Ra'am represents an important development in Israeli coalition politics, where Arab-led parties have historically remained outside most governing alliances.
Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen has expressed willingness to cooperate with Jewish-led opposition parties to remove Netanyahu from office, while maintaining that his alliance does not intend to formally join the government.
Instead, the Joint List could provide parliamentary support from outside, allowing Eisenkot to pursue a minority government.
Veteran Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi has also indicated that his alliance is prepared to adopt a different political approach to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power.
Ra'am has previously participated in an Israeli governing coalition, joining the administration formed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in 2021.
However, the possibility of Arab parties supporting another Israeli government has generated opposition from some Jewish political groups and sections of the electorate.
๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ธ๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ๐
Despite securing a majority of recommendations, Eisenkot faces difficult negotiations with potential partners whose political positions differ substantially.
The former military chief leads the Yashar party and has emerged as the principal challenger to Netanyahu following the election.
His opposition alliance includes parties with different views on national security, religion, economic policy and relations with Palestinians.
Some members have expressed reservations about entering a coalition dependent on Arab-led parties, while others have supported cooperation to replace Netanyahu.
Eisenkot has previously outlined conditions for coalition partners, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and condemnation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
The Joint List has argued that such conditions should not apply to parties providing outside parliamentary support rather than joining the government.
These disagreements could complicate negotiations even if Herzog gives Eisenkot the first opportunity to form an administration.
๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ต๐'๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is attempting to retain power despite his alliance's failure to secure a parliamentary majority.
His position suffered another setback when United Torah Judaism, a longstanding ultra-Orthodox coalition partner, declined to recommend any candidate during the presidential consultations.
Netanyahu has criticised the prospect of an opposition government dependent on Arab parties and has raised allegations of electoral irregularities involving Arab voters.
Israeli election authorities have maintained that the reported allegations do not undermine the overall election results.
The Prime Minister could still attempt to negotiate with parties outside his existing alliance or explore a broader unity arrangement.
However, opposition leaders have publicly committed themselves to replacing his government, making a political agreement with Netanyahu difficult.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐?
Under Israel's parliamentary system, the President consults elected parties before assigning a lawmaker the responsibility of forming a government.
The selected candidate ordinarily receives 28 days to negotiate a coalition, with the possibility of a further 14-day extension.
If the candidate fails, the President can consider another lawmaker capable of securing parliamentary support.
Herzog has indicated that he will announce his decision on Sunday, November 8, following consultations with the parties.
Eisenkot's 67 recommendations strengthen his case for receiving the first mandate, but the President must also consider whether he can assemble a viable government.
The difference between recommending a prime ministerial candidate and agreeing to support an administration remains central to the political uncertainty.
๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ?
The election has weakened Netanyahu's parliamentary position and created an opening for an alternative government. Yet his departure from office is not assured.
Three broad possibilities remain. Eisenkot could negotiate a government supported by Arab parties, including through outside parliamentary backing. Netanyahu could attempt to assemble a different majority through negotiations with other parties. Alternatively, continued disagreements could produce a prolonged deadlock and potentially another election.
The central question is whether the parties united in opposing Netanyahu can also agree on a common governing programme.
For Eisenkot, obtaining the presidential mandate would represent an important political achievement, but securing parliamentary confidence would be the decisive test.
For Netanyahu, the immediate challenge is to prevent his opponents from converting their numerical advantage into a government capable of replacing him.
With coalition negotiations continuing, Israel's political future remains unresolved despite the opposition's majority of recommendations.