My Word: Political promises and threats - opinion
Eisenkot also called for a “national emergency government,” under his leadership, saying: “This will require creative and unconventional political steps.”
Election posters have been seen appearing in the Jerusalem neighborhood recently, two weeks after the recent polls. Neighbors of different political affiliations have placed huge Likud banners outside their windows, boasting the slogan "Netanyahu does not surrender." This post-election behavior suggests that the next election campaign might already be underway.
President Isaac Herzog has given Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of another 14 days if needed. If Eisenkot fails to form a government, Netanyahu will have another chance, and if neither succeeds, the country might have to go back to the polls. Not all parties are able to recycle their campaign slogans.
Among the change bloc parties, many of their centrepiece campaign promises seem to be fading away, particularly in the face of heavy rains. The opposition parties have previously vowed not to join a government with the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties. However, Avigdor Liberman, head of Yisrael Beytenu, has softened his stance regarding haredi parties almost immediately after the election results.
In the presidential consultations, 67 MKs recommended Eisenkot, including 48 from the change bloc and 19 from the Arab parties, while 46 MKs backed Netanyahu's candidacy, including Shas, a Sephardi haredi party. United Torah Judaism refrained from announcing support for any candidate. Should Eisenkot fail to form a government, it appears that Liberman could become the kingmaker in the coalition talks.
Liberman's slogan "0% to draft dodgers, 100% to those who serve" has been abandoned in the metaphorical sense. This shift in stance might make him more inclined to rely on haredi support rather than the Arab parties with Palestinian nationalist platforms.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
