Lieberman says he will recommend Eisenkot to form coalition, backs Lapid for Knesset speaker

The Democratic party has announced it will recommend Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Democratic list, to President Isaac Herzog as the candidate to form Israel's next government, according to a report released on Monday. This recommendation comes ahead of Herzog's consultations with party representatives, set to begin on Wednesday.

The decision follows the support of the other two party leaders in the coalition seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett of B Yachad and Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu, both of whom also recommended Eisenkot.

Eisenkot had initially advocated for the leader of the largest opposition party to become the prime minister candidate; however, no consensus on this arrangement was reached prior to the elections among Bennett, Liberman, or the Democratic leader Yair Golan. Talks at the President's Residence are scheduled to commence on Wednesday, with Eisenkot potentially receiving the presidential mandate to form a coalition, granting him 28 days to assemble a government, with a potential 14-day extension.

Golan has proposed that the opposition coalition should incorporate Arab parties. However, this proposal was met with resistance as the other heads of opposition parties previously ruled out the inclusion of Arab parties, deeming them as unsuitable coalition partners in light of the October 7, 2023 massacre. Without the support of the Arab parties, the opposition bloc falls short of the required 61-seat Knesset majority.

Recent election results indicate that Netanyahu's bloc retains its lead, securing 53 seats in the upcoming Knesset, while the opposition bloc earned 48 seats.