Israeli opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman said Monday that he would recommend Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government, ruling out joining a coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or supporting a minority administration following last week’s inconclusive parliamentary elections.
Speaking at a news conference Monday in Modi’in in central Israel, Lieberman said his Yisrael Beiteinu party would recommend Eisenkot, the leader of Yashar party, for prime minister and support Yair Lapid for Knesset speaker, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“I will not sit in a government with Netanyahu,” Lieberman said, expressing opposition to forming a minority government.
He warned that such an administration could collapse within a year and pave the way for Netanyahu’s return to power.
Lieberman also acknowledged that opposition parties had performed significantly worse than expected in the elections.
“The opposition suffered a resounding failure in the elections. Winning 48 seats was far below our expectations,” he said, placing responsibility on Eisenkot and his team.
Lieberman announced that his party would support Lapid for Knesset speaker when the newly elected parliament convenes on Nov. 10.
“We will support Yair Lapid’s candidacy for Knesset speaker,” he said.
He said opposition lawmakers would seek to replace incumbent Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, accusing him of violating parliamentary rules.
No clear majority
Last Tuesday’s parliamentary elections produced a divided 120-member Knesset, with neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor opposition parties securing the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.
Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, including 27 for Likud, seven for United Torah Judaism, seven for Otzma Yehudit, six for Shas and six for Religious Zionism.
Opposition parties secured 48 seats, including 21 for Eisenkot’s Yashar party, 12 for the Together bloc, eight for the Democrats and seven for Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu.
Arab parties won 19 seats, with the Joint List securing 11 and Ra’am, also known as the United Arab List, obtaining eight.
The results mean Netanyahu’s bloc is eight seats short of a majority, while opposition parties need another 13 lawmakers to reach 61.
Although the opposition and Arab parties together hold 67 seats, they have not agreed to form a governing coalition.
Lieberman’s rejection of a minority government and his hope for defections from Likud underscore the difficulties facing opposition parties in assembling a coalition capable of replacing Netanyahu.
How Israel chooses prime minister
Under Israel’s parliamentary system, voters elect members of the Knesset rather than directly choosing a prime minister.
Following the elections, President Isaac Herzog consults representatives of the elected parties before assigning a lawmaker with the task of forming a government.
The president is not required to select the leader of the largest party. Instead, the mandate can be given to a lawmaker considered capable of forming a government that can secure the Knesset’s confidence.
The designated lawmaker initially has 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of up to 14 days.
If the attempt fails, the president can assign the task to another lawmaker, who receives 28 days without an extension.
If efforts to form a government remain unsuccessful, additional parliamentary procedures may follow, potentially leading to another election.
A government takes office only after presenting its composition and policies to the Knesset and winning a vote of confidence.
The outgoing government remains in office until a new administration is established.
Herzog is expected to begin consultations with the elected parties Wednesday.
On Sunday, the Together bloc, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, announced that it would recommend Eisenkot to form the next government.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Monday that the Democrats, led by Yair Golan, were also moving toward recommending Eisenkot.
Arab lawmakers have signaled that they may recommend Eisenkot to prevent Netanyahu from forming another government.
If all 48 opposition lawmakers and 19 Arab lawmakers recommend Eisenkot, he could receive 67 recommendations, compared with 53 for Netanyahu’s bloc.
Such an outcome could strengthen Eisenkot’s position during Herzog’s consultations, despite Netanyahu’s Likud remaining the largest individual party in parliament.
However, receiving the mandate would not automatically make Eisenkot prime minister or guarantee that he could establish a government.
The distinction is significant because Lieberman has rejected a minority administration, while opposition parties have not reached an agreement with Arab parties on forming a governing coalition.
Without such an agreement, Eisenkot would need to secure support from additional lawmakers, including possible defections from Netanyahu’s bloc, to establish an alternative government.
Failure to reach an agreement could result in further coalition negotiations, a unity government or another election.
