Opposition recommends Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister as Herzog begins consultations

Israel's opposition leaders agreed on Tuesday to recommend Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, to President Isaac Herzog as the candidate to form a new government. According to Al Jazeera, two Palestinian-Israeli parties, the Joint List and the United Arab List, are also expected to make the same recommendation. Herzog begins consultations with parliamentary factions on Wednesday.

According to exit polls from the October 27 election, Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud won 24 to 25 seats, down from 32 in 2022, while Yashar won 21 to 23. Netanyahu's bloc is estimated at around 50 and the opposition bloc at up to 53 of the 120 lawmakers. The Arab parties together hold 17 to 18 seats, making them potential kingmakers.

The majority problem

This is precisely where Eisenkot's biggest obstacle lies. Relying on the Arab parties, even through outside support, meets resistance from part of the center-right opposition. Eisenkot has previously said that Netanyahu “cannot be prime minister, a minister or a deputy minister” and that he would rather form a minority government backed by a Zionist majority than allow Netanyahu to remain at the head of a caretaker government.

According to Ynet, sources in Yashar claimed as early as October that Herzog had considered a Likud–Yashar national unity government to avoid new elections, which the president's office “categorically” denied.

Results are given according to exit polls; the final allocation of seats may differ.