Israeli opposition leaders are scheduled to meet in Herzliya on Tuesday after unanimously backing Gadi Eisenkot as their choice for prime minister. Their first gathering since last week's closely contested election comes as incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu seeks a broad coalition under his own leadership. Neither side secured a majority, leaving both camps facing negotiations over how to assemble the next government.
Eisenkot's change bloc took 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while Netanyahu's alliance won 53, including 27 for his Likud party. Arab-majority lists secured a record 19 seats, giving them a potentially decisive role in determining who can govern. Eisenkot's Yashar party said Tuesday morning's meeting would focus on coordinating the opposition bloc's next steps.
On Monday, Netanyahu argued that his position as leader of the largest party entitled him to head the next coalition. In a statement posted on Likud's Telegram channel, he called for a "broad national government" that would exclude Arab-majority parties. He accused those parties of supporting terrorism and rejecting the existence of a Jewish state, while inviting other parties to join his existing allies.
Arab Israeli party leaders unanimously condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, although they did not describe the Palestinian Islamist movement as a terrorist group. The leader of Raam has recognised Israel as a Jewish state, a definition other Arab party leaders have rejected. Speaking to AFP before the election, the heads of the two Arab-majority lists identified removing what they called a "racist" government as their shared aim.
The Arab lists have suggested they could endorse Eisenkot, but accepting their support remains a major source of disagreement within his alliance. Democrats leader Yair Golan, who is on the left, favours a partnership. Avigdor Lieberman, the right-wing leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, firmly opposes one. Yashar appears to have rejected the possibility without explicitly doing so, while the position of Naftali Bennett's centre-right Together party remains unclear.
Few details of private negotiations have emerged. Despite policy differences, every party leader in Eisenkot's bloc had pledged support for his bid by Monday. In Netanyahu's camp, media reports indicate that his far-right partners and the ultra-Orthodox Shas party are expected to recommend him. The other ultra-Orthodox party has not made its position clear.
President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations with party representatives on Wednesday. Established practice is to select the candidate receiving the most recommendations, weighted according to the parties' parliamentary strength. Herzog has seven days, until November 11, to decide. His chosen candidate will have 28 days to form a coalition, with a possible extension of 14 days.
If that attempt fails, Herzog can nominate another candidate, who would also receive 28 days. Should the second effort fail, 61 lawmakers can request a third candidate. If that does not happen within 14 days, parliament is dissolved and another election follows.
