Joint List backs Eisenkot, giving him majority of Israeli parliamentary recommendations

Gadi Eisenkot has the backing of 67 of Israel’s 120 MPs to be asked to form the next government, after the Arab-led Joint List said it would recommend him to President Isaac Herzog. The support gives Eisenkot a majority of parliamentary recommendations, but does not mean those parties will join his coalition.

The Joint List said its three factions had agreed unanimously to back Eisenkot, describing the decision as a response to public demands to prevent Benjamin Netanyahu and his government returning to power. A delegation was due to present its recommendation to Herzog on Thursday.

Herzog was meeting a parliamentary delegation on government formation, according to ANP/DPA. Whether he would formally give Eisenkot a mandate was not established in the reports.

The next step could prove difficult: two parties in Eisenkot’s opposition bloc have previously said they would not work with Arab parties. Netanyahu’s bloc also fell short of a majority in last week’s election. Israel’s 120-seat Knesset requires 61 seats for a majority.