News Desk, The Cradle.
The leader of the so-called Zionist opposition won enough support to form a new government.
Following recommendations from Palestinian-Israeli factions.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked Zionist Opposition bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming Israel’s next government on 7 November, a day after he secured a majority of seats in the Knesset.
Eisenkot will officially receive the mandate to form a government on the afternoon of 8 November.
“Now is the time for the formation of a national emergency government. I will do everything to make us worthy,” the opposition leader said.
Eisenkot will initially have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension.
With backing from Palestinian-Israeli political factions, including the Raam and Taal parties, the Yashar party leader secured a majority.
However, Eisenkot’s bloc has refused to depend on their support. A new Haaretz report claims Raam will vote for an Eisenkot-led government even if a coalition agreement is not finalized by then.
Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, is calling for an alliance with the ultra-Orthodox factions traditionally allied with Netanyahu.
Palestinian-Israeli factions are hoping to block an alliance between the Eisenkot bloc and the ultra-Orthodox.
The seven-seat United Torah Judaism (UTJ) faction recently withheld its support for both Netanyahu and Eisenkot.
Eisenkot’s bloc has pledged to end draft exemptions for the Haredi community. The Ultra-Orthodox, however, have made continued exemptions a condition for supporting any government, complicating the prospect of an alliance.
Liberman said on Sunday that his willingness to compromise on the enlistment issue did not mean “giving up values and principles.”
“In order to prevent more elections and end the Netanyahu era, there is no choice but to make difficult decisions on matters when flexibility can be displayed to reach understandings,” he said, later renewing his rejection of an alliance with the Palestinian-Israeli factions.
Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel would “simply not survive” if a government was formed with Palestinian parties.
The prime minister and his allies have also repeated calls for a national unity government.
Netanyahu and his Likud party have challenged the results of the 27 October election, making unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and foreign funding to explain the historic success of Palestinian-Israeli factions.
Despite recommending Eisenkot as premier in a bid to remove Netanyahu, Palestinian factions are unlikely to sit in a cabinet led by the bloc leader – given the conditions he recently outlined.
These conditions include the formation of a “Zionist government” and recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state.”
“The door to the government we will establish is open to every elected official who accepts these principles,” Eisenkot said late last month.
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Above photo: Spokesperson for Israeli President’s Residence.