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Israel’s Arab-led Joint List said Thursday it will recommend opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government, giving him 67 recommendations, a majority of the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 46 expected for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Joint List said it would inform President Isaac Herzog of its decision at its consultation meeting Thursday evening. Its 11 lawmakers join Ra’am’s eight and the 48 lawmakers of the Jewish opposition parties backing Eisenkot, Yashar party leader.
"We reached this decision unanimously, following consultations among the parties that make up the Joint List. It was not an easy decision," the alliance said.
"Despite our determination to oust Netanyahu, the opposition camp led by Eisenkot has yet to demonstrate the necessary willingness to confront Netanyahu’s path, and to fight incitement against Arab citizens and efforts to undermine the legitimacy of their political choice," the statement said.
The decision followed "the broad public support we received" and "the public demand to prevent the return of Netanyahu and his government to power," it said.
"Although Eisenkot is receiving more recommendations than Netanyahu, we see importance in increasing the gap between them. This is a step that strengthens the chances of replacing the government and reduces the possibility of various attempts to establish a national unity government that would keep Netanyahu in power, a possibility Netanyahu is pursuing with the support of influential Israeli, regional and international actors," the Joint List said.
Senior figures in Eisenkot’s bloc told Haaretz that no negotiations were held with the party and nothing was offered in return for its recommendation.
The delegation to Herzog includes Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen, Ta’al leader Ahmad Tibi, Bakr Awawdeh, lawmaker Ofer Cassif and Maha Karakabi-Sabbah.
Together and Yashar, both backing Eisenkot, and Likud, which will recommend Netanyahu, were scheduled to meet Herzog later Thursday, ending two days of consultations.
Netanyahu’s 46 recommendations come from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Zehut and Shas, after United Torah Judaism declined to back any candidate. Eisenkot is backed by Yashar, Together, Yisrael Beytenu, the Democrats, Ra’am and the Joint List.
Earlier Thursday, Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas urged Eisenkot to form a "lightning government," while Herzog told Otzma Yehudit that its claims of a stolen election rested on "speculation" without evidence.
Recommendations do not themselves form a coalition.
Herzog is expected to task a lawmaker with forming a government, most likely Eisenkot, though Israeli law does not oblige him to choose the candidate with the most recommendations. He has said he will consider creative ideas to avoid another election.
The designated lawmaker will have 28 days, extendable by 14, to form a government.
Several Jewish opposition parties, led by Yisrael Beytenu, have rejected a government that includes or relies on Arab parties, while the Arab parties have offered a parliamentary "safety net" from outside.
The Oct. 27 election left Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats, Jewish opposition parties with 48 and Arab-led parties with a record 19. Eisenkot’s 67 recommendations now put him past the 61-seat mark.
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