Israel's Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot has secured the backing of 67 members of the Knesset to receive the mandate to form Israel's next government.
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Eisenkot → secure → government
This has also put him ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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This → put → Netanyahu
However, despite the strong endorsement, Eisenkot faces a difficult task in building a coalition.
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Eisenkot → face → coalition
Several parties that are backing his candidature are also unwilling to join his government.
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that → back → government
Eisenkot secured the support during consultations with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday, after the Arab-led Joint List unanimously decided to recommend him for the prime ministerial mandate.
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List → secure → mandate
He has reiterated his goal of forming a "national emergency government" to bring political stability to Israel.
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He → reiterate → Israel
In a post on X, Eisenkot said the first round of discussions with the opposition parties had concluded with an absolute majority of recommendations in his favour.
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round → say → favour
He, however, acknowledged that the road to forming a government remained long.
"
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road → acknowledge → government
This evening, the round of consultations at the President's Residence was completed with an absolute majority of recommenders for the purpose of receiving the mandate from the President of the State to form a government.
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round → complete → government
The goal: The establishment of a national emergency government that will return our dear country to safety and sanity.
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that → return → safety
We will do it, and we will succeed," he wrote.
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he → do → it
Eisenkot's 67 endorsements comprise 48 lawmakers from the Jewish-led opposition bloc, including Yashar, Together, The Democrats and Yisrael Beiteinu.
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endorsements → comprise → Yashar
The Ra'am party contributed eight seats, while the Joint List added 11.
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List → contribute → 11
Netanyahu, meanwhile, received recommendations from only 46 lawmakers, down from the 53 seats previously expected to back him.
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Netanyahu → receive → him
His traditional ally, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), refused to recommend either candidate, leaving the prime minister with a reduced tally.
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ally → refuse → tally
According to a report by Times of Israel, the Joint List's decision proved crucial in giving Eisenkot a decisive lead over Netanyahu.
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decision → accord → Netanyahu
The party had earlier indicated that it might abstain but eventually announced its support during Thursday's consultations.
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it → indicate → consultations
Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen defended the move, saying the party wanted to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power.
"We will do everything to remove the greatest threat to all of us, which is the continuation of the rule of Netanyahu and his Kahanist partners," he said in a post on X.
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he → defend → X.
Forming a government remains difficult for Netanyahu's rival
Despite crossing the 61-seat majority mark during the presidential consultations, Eisenkot's endorsements do not necessarily translate into support for an actual governing coalition.
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endorsements → form → coalition
The Joint List has made clear that it has significant policy disagreements with parts of the Jewish opposition's platform.
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has → make → platform
It has also ruled out formally joining an Eisenkot-led coalition, although it could support the government from outside.
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it → rule → outside
The Times of Israel reported that only 48 of the 67 lawmakers who recommended Eisenkot are currently prepared to work together without conditions.
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who → report → conditions
This is five fewer than the 53-seat bloc Netanyahu was expected to command before UTJ withheld its recommendation.
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UTJ → expect → recommendation
The possibility of securing UTJ's support also presents difficulties.
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possibility → secure → difficulties
Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman has also ruled out forming a government that depends on support from Arab parties, making it harder for Eisenkot to rely on the Joint List and Ra'am.
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Eisenkot → rule → List
The Times of Israel noted that Netanyahu and his allies could also use the prospect of an opposition government relying on Arab party support to undermine Eisenkot's political ambitions.
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government → note → ambitions
The Likud-led campaign questioning the legitimacy of Arab political participation could intensify if such an arrangement takes shape.
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arrangement → lead → shape
Eisenkot now has the political momentum, but converting the recommendations into a workable majority will be his biggest challenge.
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converting → have → majority
Unlike Netanyahu, who has a long record of navigating complex coalition negotiations, Eisenkot has relatively little experience in political horse-trading.
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Eisenkot → have → trading
Herzog to hold further consultations
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Herzog → hold → consultations
Although Eisenkot received recommendations from more than the 61 lawmakers required for a Knesset majority, the Israeli President Herzog has not yet formally assigned him the mandate to form the government.
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Herzog → receive → government
According to ANI, the president will hold further consultations with political parties before deciding on Sunday whom to task with forming the next government.
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president → accord → government
According to the Times of Israel report, Herzog had also attempted to explore the possibility of a national unity arrangement during Thursday's meetings.
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Herzog → accord → meetings
However, Eisenkot's camp signalled its opposition to sharing power with Netanyahu.
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camp → signal → Netanyahu
The Aporia
