Arab parties back Eisenkot as Israel faces coalition deadlock

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he will announce on Sunday whom he will task with trying to form a new government, after the opposition's Gadi Eisenkot secured a commanding number of recommendations to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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.

Herzog will make his choice, but traditionally the mandate is given to the person recommended by more parliament members. Sixty-seven picked Eisenkot, 46 opted for Netanyahu, while seven abstained.

"The results of the consultations may appear clear, but the authority vested in me by law is to determine who has the ability to form a government, and that is not entirely clear, given the mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves," Herzog said on Thursday.

"I will try to determine this directly and quickly, in personal talks with some of the party leaders."

Eisenkot's Yashar party said on Thursday that "the citizens of Israel have chosen change and expressed a complete lack of confidence in outgoing Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government", and called for the "immediate establishment of a national emergency government that will begin working for all citizens of Israel".

Two Arab-majority lists won an unprecedented 19 seats in the election, making them potential kingmakers if Eisenkot's opposition chooses to work with them, which remains unclear.

Both Arab lists on Thursday said they were backing Eisenkot.

However, another party in Eisenkot's camp, right-wing Israel Beiteinu, has repeatedly indicated it will not sit in a government that relies on support from Arab parties.

Party leader Avigdor Liberman, a former Netanyahu ally turned critic, cited as a reason the refusal by Arab parties to explicitly define Hamas as a "terror group" -- even though they have repeatedly condemned the organisation's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

- Ultra-Orthodox exemptions -

Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism, which backed Netanyahu after the previous five elections, in its meeting with Herzog declined to recommend Netanyahu again as premier, although it also did not side with Eisenkot.

The party informed Herzog "that it has decided not to recommend any member of Knesset to form a government", the president's office said in a statement, referring to the 120-member parliament in which United Torah Judaism won seven seats.

Alongside Shas, another ultra-Orthodox party, they have pushed to maintain the exemption from military service for religious students.

Netanyahu has preserved the exemption but stopped short of enshrining it in law, in the face of major resentment from many other Israelis, as reservists serve multiple tours due to the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

"In whatever government is next formed, our immediate item is sorting out the status of Torah students," United Torah Judaism lawmaker Isaac Pindrus said.

Eisenkot, who has tried to appeal to secular Israelis from left to right, has been adamant about ending exemptions for military service.

Some of his opposition allies have criticised the ultra-Orthodox -- who make up about 14 percent of the population but have far higher birthrates than secular Israelis -- as a drain on the state.

Observers say United Torah Judaism's tactic is likely aimed mostly at punishing Netanyahu and showing that their votes cannot be taken for granted, while they would still serve in a government if he were to form one.

- Arab parties play key role -

Once Herzog gives his mandate to a lawmaker, the person will have 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension. If the lawmaker fails, Herzog will then task someone else.

Netanyahu's bloc, including United Torah Judaism, has 53 seats in the new parliament, compared to 48 for Eisenkot's bloc.

Arab-majority parties scored historic gains on the back of anger over Netanyahu's hard-right government and longstanding complaints about racism from some ministers and discriminatory treatment of Arab Israelis.

Netanyahu has relentlessly attacked the opposition for even the prospect of an alliance with Arab lawmakers.

In a video Wednesday, Netanyahu alleged there were "serious suspicions" that foreign powers put money into the election and questioned the loyalty of Arab citizens.

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