Gadi Eisenkot, leader of Israel’s Yashar party, and Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman, said Monday they have “full confidence” they can form a government, after meeting to defuse a public rift that threatens Eisenkot’s bid to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Ynet News. The meeting came a day after Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Eisenkot with forming the country’s next government.
But the two men remain divided over what that government should look like. Eisenkot has signaled he is open to a minority government with outside support from Arab parties, while Lieberman is pushing for a majority that includes the ultra-Orthodox parties.
Speaking at the mandate ceremony, Eisenkot said he was confident that a new government commanding a broad majority could be formed quickly and called on Likud, the party of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to join a government under his leadership.
Eisenkot warned that Israel could not afford to prolong its political crisis or return to the polls, saying the country was facing “one of the weakest moments in the history of its democracy” and approaching “the point of no return.”
Eisenkot said the negotiations for forming a national emergency government would be exceptionally complicated and would require innovative and unconventional political steps.
The path ahead is far from straightforward. Eisenkot’s bloc holds 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, compared with 53 for Netanyahu’s bloc. The remaining 19 seats are held by the two Arab lists, the Joint List and the United Arab List.
Although 67 lawmakers recommended to Herzog that Eisenkot be tasked with forming the government, that does not mean he commands a majority willing to join his coalition or support it in parliament.
Under the terms of the mandate, Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a 14-day extension.
The main problem for the opposition to Netanyahu is its lack of unity, Aharon Bregman, an Israeli researcher in war studies at King’s College London, told MBN. But the shared desire to remove Netanyahu from power, he added, could push its factions to overcome their differences and pave the way for a minority government.
A Minority Government with Outside Arab Support
Eisenkot is open to forming a minority government based on the four Jewish parties backing Eisenkot, with the two Arab lists — the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra’am) — providing support from outside the coalition.
Such an arrangement could provide the parliamentary backing needed for a new government to take and retain power. But that option faces reservations within Eisenkot’s camp, particularly from Lieberman, who opposes relying on Arab parties.
The Israeli parliamentary system does not require a government to secure the support of 61 lawmakers to take office. A government can win a confidence vote solely with a majority of those voting.
Any government’s survival, however, would depend on its ability to avoid a no-confidence vote backed by 61 lawmakers, the mechanism for forming an alternative government.
Reaching an understanding with the two Arab lists would also require agreement on the nature and limits of their support, as well as on issues that could serve as the basis for cooperation.
The Arab parties are demanding a clear commitment from Eisenkot to advance civil equality, combat violence in Arab communities, increase government funding, address housing and urban planning crises, and confront incitement, racism and settler violence against Palestinians.
In return, Eisenkot is asking those parties to commit to his four principles, particularly the requirement that no one be exempted from performing military or national service and that Hamas be acknowledged as a terrorist group whose military and governing capabilities must be dismantled. Washington and the European Union designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Bregman warned that relying on support from Arab parties carries political risks, even if that support comes from outside the coalition. A subsequent collapse of the government, he said, could be cited by Netanyahu as an argument against Eisenkot and his allies in any future election campaign.
Courting the Ultra-Orthodox Parties
A second scenario involves bringing the ultra-Orthodox parties, particularly Shas and United Torah Judaism, into Eisenkot’s camp, potentially giving him the majority needed to form a government.
Challenging this option are deep disagreements over exemptions from military service for students at religious seminaries. Eisenkot’s call for a universal service requirement conflicts with the ultra-Orthodox parties’ demand that their exemptions from conscription be preserved.
Shas recommended that Netanyahu be given the mandate to form the government, while United Torah Judaism declined to recommend any candidate, underscoring how difficult it would be to bring the two parties into Eisenkot’s camp.
For his part, Lieberman has softened his previous opposition to working with the ultra-Orthodox parties. He has indicated that he would accept their participation in a government if they agreed to legislation requiring religious men to serve in the military. Preventing another election and ending Netanyahu’s rule, he argued, would require mutual concessions.
Bregman said the cost of bringing the ultra-Orthodox parties on board would go beyond concessions on military conscription. It could also mean blocking liberal reforms and legislation that opposition parties have pledged to enact, leaving Eisenkot caught between the demands of coalition-building and the implementation of his electoral platform.
A National Unity Government with Likud
A third scenario is a national unity government that includes Likud, an option Netanyahu proposed on Saturday as he warned against a government dependent on support from Arab parties.
Such an arrangement would overcome the majority problem but raise questions about who would serve as prime minister and how cabinet portfolios would be distributed. It would also have to bridge disagreements over the judiciary, security policy and Netanyahu’s political future.
In this context, Eisenkot called on Likud and Religious Zionism to support a government under his leadership, saying there was no reason for them not to do so if they genuinely believed in the need for unity.
His appeal came a day after Netanyahu warned that an alliance between opposition parties and Arab parties would lead to the disintegration of the state of Israel.
Netanyahu did not say whether he would be willing to serve in a government headed by Eisenkot. Instead, he called for a coalition of Zionist parties that would exclude Arab parties, leaving the question of who would become prime minister — and Netanyahu’s own political future — among the most likely points of contention.
Bregman said reaching an agreement with Netanyahu would be difficult, citing the lack of trust between him and opposition leaders, who have expressed doubt that he would honor any agreement.
He suggested that Netanyahu’s call for a unity government might reflect his recognition that he could lose power more than any genuine political common ground with his opponents.
What Happens if Eisenkot Fails?
If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted period, the Israeli Institute for Democracy says the president may task another Knesset member with the job, potentially Netanyahu. The second candidate would have another 28 days, with no possibility of an extension.
If the second attempt also fails, 61 lawmakers may agree on a third candidate, who would be given 14 days to form a government. If that effort fails as well, the Knesset would be dissolved, and the country would head to another election.
For Eisenkot to become prime minister, Bregman said, the former general and other opposition leaders would have to abandon some of their campaign pledges, whether on ultra-Orthodox conscription or their relationship with Arab parties.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
