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Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has secured 56 recommendations to form the next government after the Arab-led Ra’am party backed him Thursday, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to receive 46 after his ultra-Orthodox ally United Torah Judaism declined to endorse anyone.
Ra’am's eight lawmakers joined the 48 from Jewish opposition parties in recommending Eisenkot during President Isaac Herzog’s second and final day of consultations.
The Arab-led Joint List, with 11 seats, had yet to announce its position before its 4:45 p.m. meeting with Herzog.
A candidate needs 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats for a majority.
Herzog is not obliged to pick the leader of the largest party or the candidate with the most recommendations, and he has said he will consider creative ideas to avoid another election.
"We believe it is possible to form a new government that will be better than the government of failures," Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas told Herzog, calling on Eisenkot to form a “lightning government,” Ynet reported.
On the investigation into suspected foreign interference, Abbas said: "We twice welcomed the decision to demand that the Shin Bet and police investigate, and said we are at the disposal of the investigative authorities and are confident in ourselves."
He added that “for four years, mainly from Otzma Yehudit and extremist elements in Likud, we were subjected to political persecution.”
Asked about Hamas, Abbas said the Islamic Movement's founder opposed terrorist attacks.
"The Israeli government accepted President Trump’s framework that two states will be established here, and Hamas and all armed organizations will be disarmed. Our vision is reconciliation and peace," he said.
Pressed by the president’s office director on why he does not call Hamas a terrorist organization, Abbas said: "I have an unequivocal answer, but leave me this space to build a bridge and to influence the other side as well. And leave me space to protect myself and my family. We are a bridge; let’s not destroy this bridge."
He called it, in a sense, a matter of saving life, adding: "We are unequivocally against terror and violence against any person."
"The change government on its worst day was better for Israel’s national and social security than the ‘full-on right’ government," Abbas said, adding that he would like to see ultra-Orthodox parties in the government too.
Referring to the Oct. 7 attack, he said: "Someone believed Sinwar, and so he slept at night."
Ra’am’s Yoav Seglovitz, a former police investigations chief, said he joined the party "as a Jew, as an Israeli patriot, as a Zionist," adding: "We are at a point of deep rupture."
He said he had never seen an event in which "the prime minister’s office passes information to a district commander and people are arrested on election day."
United Torah Judaism, which holds seven seats, declined to recommend Netanyahu despite his pressure, saying it would back whoever secures the status of Torah students.
"We are not committed to any bloc," lawmaker Yitzhak Goldknopf said. "The main task is regulating the status of Torah learners in legislation without sanctions."
Lawmaker Yitzhak Pindrus said there had been no contact with Eisenkot’s bloc: "No one has received a mandate or conducted negotiations; it’s irrelevant. When there is, everyone will know."
Herzog asked whether the party accepted that those not studying should enlist, citing a Haredi brigade in the army as a working model.
Otzma Yehudit recommended Netanyahu and repeated claims the election was "stolen."
Far-right Lawmaker Yitzhak Wasserlauf alleged without evidence that "the elections were bought with money" for lists that do not call Hamas a terrorist group.
"Everything is in the realm of speculation; there is no evidence or proof. In the world of law, suspicions must be substantiated," Herzog replied, warning against generalizing about all Arab citizens.
"Could it be that your whole campaign is intended to divert attention from the fact that masses of Israeli Arabs went out to vote in reaction to the behavior of your party and your leader?" Herzog asked. Lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer replied: "I think it’s a certificate of appreciation for our party."
Herzog also said a show staged before detained international activists at Ashdod port had damaged Israel’s image, and rebuked attacks on the attorney general: "The culture of disqualifying state employees is improper. I respect Zini and also the attorney general."
Far-right party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir later said that "in every position I hold, I will continue to work to make the lives of terrorists in prisons hell."
The Democrats recommended Eisenkot and called for a "national emergency government."
"There is a clear decision of 67 seats against the continuation of Netanyahu’s rule," lawmaker Gilad Kariv said, adding that the party supports a minority government that would later be expanded.
Herzog pushed back: "You cannot ignore the 27 seats Likud received, a quarter of the people. Is all of life ‘yes or no Netanyahu’?" He questioned how a minority-backed government could function, recalling the previous change government’s difficulties.
"Want unity? Replace Netanyahu," incoming lawmaker Yaya Fink said.
During the meeting, Democrats director-general Omer Lubaton Granot posted on X, implying Herzog had voted Likud. "Yesterday they accused him of being ‘pro-Arab’ and today he ‘voted Likud,’" President’s Office director-general Eyal Shviki responded. "The president’s role is to care for all the people of Israel."
Together, Yashar and Likud were scheduled to meet Herzog later Thursday. On Wednesday, Yisrael Beytenu recommended Eisenkot, while Religious Zionism, Zehut and Shas backed Netanyahu.
Election committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, presenting final results to Herzog on Wednesday, warned that voices "seeking to cast aspersions on the election results and challenge their validity" pose "a real danger."
The designated lawmaker will have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. Eisenkot has pledged a "Zionist government," while Arab parties have offered a "safety net" from outside in return for guarantees on home demolitions, crime and a political horizon for Palestinians.
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