Israeli opposition unites behind Eisenkot as Netanyahu demands broad coalition
After last week's Israeli parliamentary election gave neither camp a majority, opposition leaders will meet on Tuesday to coordinate next steps. All bloc leaders back Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister, while incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu insists on leading a broad government.
Leaders of Israel's opposition parties, rallied around Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot, will meet in Herzliya on Tuesday morning for the first time since last week's election. The vote left neither camp with a majority in the 120-seat parliament (the Knesset), so a contest over forming the government has begun. Every leader in the opposition bloc has said they will back Eisenkot as the next prime minister, while incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu is calling for a broad coalition under his own leadership.
The election result
Eisenkot's so-called change bloc won 48 seats, while Netanyahu's camp took 53, 27 of them for his Likud party. Arab-majority lists won a record 19 seats, which could make them kingmakers. Yashar said the meeting would discuss coordinating the bloc's next steps.
Netanyahu's position
On Monday Netanyahu called for a "broad national government" without Arab parties, saying that as head of the largest party he should lead the next coalition. In a statement on Likud's Telegram channel, he claimed a clear majority of the Jewish public had chosen him. He ruled out a coalition with Arab-majority lists, accusing them of supporting terrorism and denying the existence of the Jewish state. Arab party leaders unanimously condemned Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, but did not describe the movement as a terror group.
Opposition disagreements
Possible support from Arab lists is one of the opposition's main points of contention. Yair Golan, the left-leaning Democrats leader, wants a partnership with them, while Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu, is staunchly opposed. Eisenkot's party appears to have ruled the idea out without saying so explicitly. The position of Naftali Bennett's centre-right Together party is unclear.
What happens next
President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations with party representatives on Wednesday and has seven days, until November 11, to choose a candidate. That person has 28 days, extendable by 14, to form a coalition. If they fail, the president may choose another candidate. If a second attempt also fails, 61 lawmakers can ask the president to pick a third candidate, and if that does not succeed within 14 days, parliament is dissolved and new elections are held.
