Gadi Eisenkot, with the support of 67 deputies, is on the verge of receiving the mandate to form the Israeli government
In continuation of Isaac Herzog’s consultations Israeli President Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, has won the support of 67 Knesset (parliament) members to receive the mandate to form a government, while 46 members have supported Benjamin Netanyahu.
Arab parties, including the Arab Joint List and the Ra’am party, have supported Eisenkot to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power, while Netanyahu has criticized the Arab parties’ support for Eisenkot.
According to the election results, the Likud party led by Netanyahu won 27 seats, the Yashar party 21 seats, and the “Unlimited” party led by Naftali Bennett won 12 Knesset seats; Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats and the opposition bloc has 48 seats, with Arab parties holding a total of 19 seats.
If Eisenkot receives the mandate, he will have 28 days to form a government, which can be extended by another 14 days; however, the representatives’ support for his candidacy does not necessarily mean their participation in the future government.
