Who will be the government in Israel? As suspense continues amid a power struggle between Netanyahu and Eisencott, all eyes are on the president

After the election in Israel, the political heat has increased over the formation of the government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot has the support of most members of parliament. In a consultation process held on Thursday, 67 MPs of the 120-member Knesset voted in favor of Eisenkot, while Netanyahu received the support of 46 MPs. However, despite this support, it is not clear whether Eisencott will be able to form the coalition necessary to form a government.

Meanwhile, Israel US President Isaac Herzog has said that he will appoint a candidate to form a government on Sunday. He interacted with representatives of various political parties on Wednesday and Thursday. After the debates, Herzog admitted that even though the MPs’ support figures were clear, due to the different parties and the differences within them, it was not easy to determine which leader had the best chance of forming a government.

The President also said that he will hold personal talks with leaders of several political parties on Friday and Saturday. After this, the name of the candidate will be announced on Sunday.

Even after winning 27 seats, Netanyahu is far from a majority

No coalition won a clear majority in Israel’s parliamentary elections held on October 27. Netanyahu’s Likud party became the largest party, winning 27 seats, but his religious-nationalist coalition won only 53 seats. On the other hand, the anti-Netanyahu coalition got 48 seats. The alliance includes four Jewish-led parties ranging from center-left to right.

Two parties representing Israel’s Arab population also won a total of 19 seats. Both these parties supported Eisencott after the election. For this reason, he has received the numerical support of MPs, but gathering political consensus to form a government is still a major challenge.

Netanyahu suffered another blow when his old ally United Torah Judaism refused to recommend any candidate for endorsement during talks with the president. This development has added to the difficulties for Netanyahu’s coalition.

The coalition’s math was complicated by the support of Arab parties.

One of the biggest complications of government formation in Israel is the role of Arab parties. Both Eisenkot and Netanyahu have so far refused to form a government with Arab-led parties. Despite this, both Arab parties have supported Izenkot.

Israel Beitenu, the right-wing party in Eysenck’s coalition, has indicated that it will not form part of a government that depends on the support of Arab parties. Party head Avigdor Lieberman has attributed this to the refusal of Arab parties to call Hamas a terrorist organization. However, these parties have criticized Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has questioned the election results and accused Arab parties of vote rigging. He has also demanded a probe into possible rigging by election officials. However, Israel’s Central Election Committee clarified on Wednesday that there was no compromise with the fairness of the election.

Committee head and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg appealed to political leaders to maintain public faith in democracy. He said that peaceful transfer of power is one of the basic conditions of democracy.

Israel’s politics depend on the president’s decision

In Israel, a candidate nominated by the president will have 28 days to form a government. If necessary, this period can be extended by another 14 days. Netanyahu will be acting prime minister during this period. If no candidate succeeds in forming a coalition, the country may need to hold another election.

The biggest challenge before Eisencott will be to bring together parties with different views on political ideology and Arab parties. At the same time, it does not look easy for Netanyahu to retain his old allies and find a way to a majority.

Thus, the struggle for power after the elections in Israel now depends on the decisions of President Isaac Herzog and the negotiations between the political parties. The announcement on Sunday will decide who gets the first responsibility to form the government.