Eisenkot tipped to form Israel government with backing of Arab lists
Herzog held a second day of consultations with political parties on Thursday after the October 27 election, in which neither Netanyahu -- a polarising right-winger who has led Israel through three years of war -- nor Eisenkot -- a former military chief promising to restore national unity -- secured enough votes for a majority.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will announce on Sunday which candidate he will task with forming a new government following the October 27 election, in which neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot secured enough votes for a majority. Sixty-seven parliamentary members recommended Eisenkot, while 46 backed Netanyahu, with seven abstaining.
Both Arab-majority lists won an unprecedented 19 seats, positioning them as potential kingmakers if Eisenkot's opposition chooses to work with them. United Torah Judaism, an ultra-Orthodox party that previously backed Netanyahu, declined to recommend him for a third time as premier, though it did not back Eisenkot either. Both parties have emphasized sorting out the status of Torah students in their next government.
Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats, compared to 48 for Eisenkot's bloc. Arab-majority parties gained historic ground due to dissatisfaction with Netanyahu's government and concerns over racism and discrimination against Arab Israelis.
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