he Joint List alliance of Arab-led parties has announced plans to recommend Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government following last week’s general election.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the alliance said it would formally inform President Isaac Herzog of its decision later in the day, paving the way for Eisenkot to secure the mandate to form a new administration.
Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats in Israel’s 120-member parliament, the Knesset, giving them potentially significant influence in the formation of the next government.
The Joint List’s 11 lawmakers are expected to recommend Eisenkot, while Ra’am, another Arab-led party with eight seats, has also pledged its support. Together, their backing is expected to give Eisenkot the support of 67 lawmakers, above the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political bloc, which holds 53 seats, could face further setbacks after Degel HaTorah, which controls four of the seven seats held by United Torah Judaism, announced that it would recommend neither candidate.
The ultra-Orthodox faction reportedly broke with Netanyahu over his coalition’s failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi men from compulsory military service, according to The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu and his Likud party have repeatedly alleged, without presenting evidence, that Arab-led parties were involved in election fraud with foreign backing.
The allegations followed the arrest of three political activists suspected of bribing voters before polling began. The suspects were reportedly linked to the Ra’am party, which has denied any involvement.
Netanyahu and Likud have also criticised the prospect of opposition parties joining forces with Arab-led lawmakers, describing such cooperation as a threat to Israel. In a statement following the election, Likud warned that any Zionist party cooperating with the Arab bloc would be acting in a manner it considered “dangerous to Israel”.
However, Israel’s Central Elections Committee certified the election results on Wednesday, saying it had found no evidence of fraud.
President Herzog has accepted the results and begun consultations with political parties to determine whom to appoint to form the next government.
Although he supported investigations into suspected electoral interference, Herzog cautioned against making sweeping accusations against Palestinian citizens of Israel, who account for approximately 20 per cent of the country’s population.
He said he had “great respect” for Israel’s Palestinian minority.
