Israel's Arab-led parties have signaled they are willing to provide external parliamentary support to opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot as he attempts to form a government and replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The United Arab List, an Islamist party commonly known as Ra'am and led by Mansour Abbas, intends to vote in favor of an Eisenkot-led administration even without a formal coalition agreement, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
"Our party, which has eight Knesset members, will support a Gadi Eisenkot government even if no coalition agreement is signed," a party source told the newspaper. According to the report, Ra'am aims to prevent Eisenkot's centrist bloc from having to rely on the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party to secure a parliamentary majority.
A second Arab-led faction, the Joint List headed by Yousef Jabareen, took a more conditional stance. Holding 11 seats, the alliance stated that while it would not vote to confirm an Eisenkot government without a formal agreement, it would not act to bring the administration down, Haaretz reported.
Parliamentary math and coalition hurdles
The positioning of the two Arab factions follows Israeli President Isaac Herzog's decision on Sunday to hand Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff who heads the centrist Yashar party, a 28-day mandate to assemble a cabinet.
Israel's October 27 legislative election left the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, without a clear majority bloc. Netanyahu's right-wing and religious alliance won 53 seats, while Eisenkot's opposition bloc secured 48. The United Arab List and the Joint List won a combined record of 19 seats, making them potential kingmakers.
During presidential consultations last week, both Arab factions endorsed Eisenkot, bringing his total recommendations to 67 lawmakers against 46 for Netanyahu.
United Torah Judaism, a longtime Netanyahu ally holding seven seats, declined to endorse either candidate amid ongoing disputes over military conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.
Conditions for a 'national emergency government'
Despite backing Eisenkot to unseat Netanyahu's hard-right administration, the Arab parties face significant barriers to formally entering a coalition. Right-wing members of the opposition bloc, notably former minister Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu party, have refused to sit in a government that includes Arab-led factions.
Eisenkot has called for a broad "national emergency government" and invited all factions—including Netanyahu's Likud party, though not Netanyahu himself—to join under four core conditions:
- Recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state
- Accepting Israel's declaration of independence
- Supporting military, national or civil service for all citizens
- Designating the Palestinian militant group Hamas as a terrorist organization and committing to dismantle its military and governing capabilities
While Arab lawmakers have criticized the opposition's reluctance to address policies affecting Arab citizens, Abbas has stated that Ra'am will act in line with the Arab public's primary demand to replace Netanyahu's government.
Incoming Knesset members are scheduled to be sworn in on Tuesday evening. Under Israeli law, Herzog can grant Eisenkot an extension of up to 14 days beyond the initial 28-day window. If Eisenkot fails to pass a confidence vote, the president can assign the mandate to another lawmaker for 28 days without an extension, or send the country back to early elections. Netanyahu remains in office as caretaker prime minister during the negotiations.
Related: Gadi Eisenkot Handed 28-Day Mandate to Form Israel Government
