Israeli opposition parties are expected to formally put forward Gadi Eisenkot as their candidate for prime minister on Tuesday. Avigdor Liberman, the last party leader in the opposition camp to announce his position, said on Monday that he would support Eisenkot while rejecting any government formed with backing from Arab parties.
Those parties represent Palestinian citizens of Israel and won a record 19 seats in the election on the 27th. Their support could be crucial to building a parliamentary majority opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu. After meeting Eisenkot, Liberman said his party would recommend him to President Isaac Herzog, who will oversee coalition talks.
Liberman accused the Arab parties of receiving support from the Palestinian Authority, which partially governs the occupied West Bank. He said he would not cooperate with them and dismissed the prospect of a minority government that relied on their tacit support, arguing that such an arrangement would not last.
The Knesset has 120 seats, and a government needs 61 votes for a majority. Netanyahu’s allies won 53 seats, while the Jewish opposition parties secured 48. With support from the two Arab parties—Ra’am and the more progressive Joint List—Eisenkot could command a comfortable majority.
Eisenkot, however, opposed the creation of a Palestinian state during the campaign and said he would not form a government with either Arab party, while leaving open the possibility of a minority government tolerated by them. Yair Golan, leader of the center-left Democrats, has been the only Jewish opposition leader to openly support cooperation. Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen said on Monday that the opposition needed to accept the political reality and reach an agreement with Arab parties to oust Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has called for a broad national government without the Arab parties, saying his Likud party won the most seats and should lead the next coalition. He accused the Arab parties of supporting terrorism and denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. Arab-Israeli political leaders unanimously condemned Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, though they did not describe the group as a terrorist organization.
Herzog is due to begin initial consultations with the parties on Wednesday. The new Knesset is scheduled to take office on the 10th, and the president must give a party the opportunity to form a government by the 11th. If no bloc reaches an agreement by mid-February next year, new elections must be called; Herzog has said that outcome should be avoided at all costs.
Sources: Folha Mundo.