Former Israeli Prime Minister Bennett’s party backs Eisenkot to form next government
- Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, opposition 48 and Arab parties 19, leaving neither main bloc with 61-seat majority
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- Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, opposition 48 and Arab parties 19, leaving neither main bloc with 61-seat majority
By Said Amori and Rania Abushamala
JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) - Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced Sunday that his parliamentary bloc would recommend that President Isaac Herzog task Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government, strengthening Eisenkot’s prospects of receiving the first mandate.
Bennett’s Together party said in a statement that the decision was made at his direction.
Throughout the election campaign, Bennett had vowed to honor the voters’ choice, and his backing of Eisenkot was consistent with that pledge, the statement said.
It added that Bennett had informed Eisenkot of his decision.
Separately, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Democrats party, led by Yair Golan, also intended to recommend Eisenkot during the upcoming presidential consultations. Golan had not issued an official announcement on the matter.
The developments came as Israeli opposition parties sought to coordinate their recommendations following the parliamentary elections while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp continued efforts to secure a governing majority.
Elections for the 26th Knesset were held last Tuesday. Final results officially published Friday by the Central Elections Committee gave Netanyahu’s Likud party 27 seats compared with 21 for Eisenkot’s Yashar party, 12 for Bennett’s Together and eight for Golan’s Democrats.
The Joint List won 11 seats, while the United Arab List, known as Ra’am, secured eight.
Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats overall compared with 48 for opposition parties and 19 for Arab parties. Neither main bloc reached the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-member parliament.
Voter turnout stood at 77.9%.
Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg is scheduled to submit the official results to Herzog on Nov. 4. The president is due to begin consultations that day with representatives of the elected parties and parliamentary blocs to hear their recommendations on whom to task with forming a government.
The designated candidate receives an initial 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a further 14-day extension.
Rania R.a. Abushamala