- Opposition alliance supports Gadi Eisenkot to oust Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Israeli government formation requires crucial support from Arab parties.
- Eisenkot's four conditions conflict with Arab parties' three demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power faces fresh challenges amid a fractured mandate, as leaders of the Jewish-led opposition alliance have announced their support for former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to oust him as quickly as possible. The consensus on Gadi's name was reached in a November 3 meeting of the alliance in the city of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.
The agreement came a day after Israeli President Isaac Herzog started consultations with the parties on who should form the government. The opposition alliance under Gadi's Yashar party issued a statement after the meeting saying that the negotiating teams would immediately begin drafting policy guidelines and coalition agreements to replace Netanyahu coalition with a 'national emergency government'.
The meeting brought prominent opposition leaders to the table, including former PM Naftali Bennet, Democrats' Yair Golan, Yesh Atid Party's Yair Lapid, and Yisrael Beytenu's Avigdor Liberman.
Opposition divide on Arab support
The opposition bloc, like Netanyahu-led alliance, is short of the majority of 61 seats and would need support from Arab-led parties to form the next government.
The results of the October 27 elections yielded 53 seats for the Netanyahu bloc, 48 seats for the opposition and 19 for Arab parties.
To form a government, Gadi would require support of 13 more seats. As Netanyahu has ruled out the possibility of joining hands with Arab parties, the chances for Gadi are high to take a shot to become country's next PM.
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However, the opposition is divided on seeking support from the Arab parties. While Golan has backed the idea of aligning with the Arab parties, Liberman has opposed it. Another key leader of the alliance, Naftali Bennet, has been consistent with his approach of not relying on the Arab parties to form the government.
Points of contention between Arab and Opposition parties
According to reports, Gadi has put forward 4 conditions for joining hands with Arab parties. These include recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, acceptance of compulsory national service (civil or military), recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organisation and alignment with the values of the Declaration of Independence, which is the very foundation of the Zionist state.
The conditions to recognise the country as a Jewish state and particularly the terrorist tag for Hamas have made the alliance irreconcilable unless one softens the stance.
Besides, Gadi is not alone in listing out conditions for alliance. Joint List, the largest Arab party with 11 seats, has offered potential backing to the opposition without seeking cabinet or ministerial seats. However, they have sought policy shifts, including a funded plan to combat violent crimes against Arab municipalities, support for a diplomatic process towards a Palestinian state and an end to the demolition of homes in Arab communities.