Politics · Other · 3 hrs ago
Arab-led alliance backs Eisenkot to form Israel's next government
Israel's Joint List, an alliance of Arab-led parties, says it will recommend Eisenkot to form a government after last week's election.
Arab-led parties won a record 19 of the Knesset's 120 seats, giving them potential influence in coalition talks.
With the Joint List's 11 lawmakers and the eight-seat Ra’am also backing his nomination, Eisenkot is expected to have 67 lawmakers behind him, above the 61-seat majority.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has 53 seats, but its support may be weakened because a faction with four seats says it will recommend neither candidate.
President Isaac Herzog has accepted the certified election results and is consulting party leaders before choosing whom to ask to form a government.
Once Herzog names a candidate, that person will have 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension.
If neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu succeeds, Israel will hold another election early next year.
The Joint List alliance of Arab-led parties said it would recommend opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form Israel’s next government.
The move could give Eisenkot the backing of 67 lawmakers, above the 61-seat majority threshold in the Knesset.
Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats in last week’s election.
The Joint List’s 11 lawmakers and the eight-seat Ra’am party are expected to recommend Eisenkot.
President Isaac Herzog will choose which candidate to task with forming a government after consultations with party leaders.
- Who
- The Joint List alliance of Arab-led parties said it would back opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot.
- What
- It will recommend that Eisenkot be tasked with forming Israel’s next government.
- When
- Thursday, November 5, 2026.
- Where
- Israel.
- Why
- Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats in the election, and their support could bolster Eisenkot’s bid to form a government.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats in Israel’s general election.
Herzog met representatives of several political factions and received their recommendations on whom to task with forming a government.
The Joint List said it would recommend Eisenkot to form the next government.
Herzog’s consultations with party leaders were set to continue.
- Joint List seats
- 11 lawmakers
- Ra’am seats
- 8
- Arab-led parties’ election result
- Record 19 seats
- Knesset majority threshold
- 61 seats
- Projected backing for Eisenkot
- 67 lawmakers
3 sources
What people are saying
The Joint List announced today, Thursday, that it will inform the President of the State, Isaac Herzog, this evening of its decision to recommend that Gadi Eisenkot be tasked with forming the government
received their recommendations regarding the identity of the Knesset member upon whom the task of forming the government should be assigned