Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, is meeting Thursday with leaders of the larger parties that won seats in last week’s election to determine who has the best chance of forming a governing coalition. No single party or coalition emerged as a clear winner, though Likud, the party of caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, secured more seats than any other single party. Still, parties opposing Netanyahu won more seats overall than his far-right alliance.
Herzog began consultations on Wednesday and must select a potential prime minister by Nov. 11. Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats, while the Jewish opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot holds 48, and Arab-led parties hold 19. Eisenkot is expected to gain the most support, including backing from at least one Arab-led party, but he must overcome resistance among members reluctant to form a government with Arab lawmakers.
The center-left Democrats, with 8 seats and led by Yair Golan, recommended Eisenkot and accused Netanyahu’s coalition of undermining the election results. The far-right Otzma Yehudit, with 7 seats and led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, recommended Netanyahu. The ultra-Orthodox U.T.J., also with 7 seats, declined to nominate anyone this time. Smaller parties met Wednesday, including Religious Zionism, Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas.
Source: New York Times Business · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing