The ethnic Arab parties of Israel have thrown their support behind Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, cementing his case to form a government over that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A delegation led by Joint List party chairman Yousef Jabareen met with President Isaac Herzog on Thursday as the head of state prepares to select the next prime minister. The Arab leader urged Herzog to allow Eisenkot to attempt forming the next government, seeking to cement the opposition leader’s mandate against Netanyahu and his coalition.
“Even though Eisenkot is receiving more recommendations than Netanyahu, we see importance in widening the gap between them,” Joint List explained in a statement the same day.
Israeli lawmaker Yousef Jabareen speaks to supporters at a campaign event for the Joint List of Arab-led parties ahead of Israel’s general election in Jaffa, a mixed Jewish-Arab neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
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Israeli lawmaker Yousef Jabareen speaks to supporters at a campaign event for the Joint List of Arab-led parties ahead of Israel’s general election in Jaffa, a mixed Jewish-Arab neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
It continued: “This step strengthens the chances of replacing the government and reduces the possibility of various attempts to establish a national unity government that would keep Netanyahu in power, an option Netanyahu is pursuing with the support of influential Israeli, regional and international actors.”
With that support, Eisenkot will have the backing of 67 Knesset members, compared to Netanyahu’s 46 endorsements — almost certainly securing Herzog’s first-round selection.
The Arabs’ endorsement was hardly enthusiastic. Joint List and its supporters are concerned that Eisenkot has “not yet demonstrated the necessary willingness to confront Netanyahu’s path, nor to fight the incitement against Arab citizens and the undermining of the legitimacy of their political choices.”
“We are not choosing between good and better, but between what we see as bad and even worse,” Jabareen told Herzog at the Presidential Palace.
Joint List is not committing to joining the coalition, instead suggesting it will support a hypothetical minority government from outside.
Netanyahu has characterized the Arab parties as an existential threat to Israel, accusing any coalition willing to work with them of cooperating with “Islamist parties that support terrorism.”
Joint List does not affirm that Israel is a “Jewish state,” nor does it characterize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Cooperation with it has always been considered a political taboo by parties representing the Jewish majority.
“[Arab parties] seek to erase the Jewish identity of Israel. They say so openly,” Netanyahu said Wednesday. “They seek to deprive us of the ability to defend ourselves against our enemies.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog looks on during a meeting with Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Yiannis Kourtoglou/Pool Photo via AP)
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog looks on during a meeting with Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Yiannis Kourtoglou/Pool Photo via AP)
Herzog must make his selection for the next prime minister by Nov. 11.
The lawmaker selected for the job will then begin the process of negotiating support, exchanging ministerial positions and policy compromises for support. It is the final and most fraught step in forming a government as tentative allies pull their endorsements after failing to get what they demand.
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The chosen candidate will have 28 days to form a government, with a 14-day extension possible.
If negotiations fail and a government cannot be formed, Herzog will select another lawmaker to attempt the same. In the event of that candidate failing as well, a majority in the Knesset can put forward a third and final candidate before the Knesset is dissolved and voters must return to the ballot box.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
