Israel: Eisenkot clears PM mandate threshold with 67 endorsements, leaving Netanyahu’s bloc at 46 seats, UTJ abstains

Jerusalem [Israel] : In a dramatic shift in Israeli politics, former defence chief and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot has cleared the parliamentary threshold needed to claim the mandate to form Israel's next government.

Following post-election consultations with President Isaac Herzog, Eisenkot secured a total of 67 endorsements in the 120-seat Knesset—comfortably surpassing the 61-seat majority required—while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing endorsement tally shrank to just 46 seats after traditional ally United Torah Judaism (UTJ) opted to abstain,  according to The Times of Israel.
The 67-seat backing for Eisenkot came together after the Arab-led Joint List announced its unanimous decision to recommend him, joining earlier endorsements from the opposition and the Arab Ra'am party.

Gadi Eisenkot’s endorsements (67 seats) comprise of Jewish-led opposition bloc, 48 seats (Yashar, Together, The Democrats, Yisrael Beiteinu); Ra'am party: 8 seats and Joint List: 11 seats
Benjamin Netanyahu’s endorsements (46 seats), down from his right-wing bloc's total election tally of 53 seats after UTJ withheld its endorsement with abstentions (7 seats).

The decision by the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party to refrain from endorsing any candidate marks a major fracture in its long-standing alliance with Netanyahu.
Prompted by spiritual directives given to both its Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael factions, UTJ’s leadership opted to withhold support due to growing frustration over Netanyahu’s failure to pass long-promised legislation enshrining military service exemptions for yeshiva students. UTJ representatives explicitly informed President Herzog that their backing for any future administration remains strictly contingent on securing those exemptions.
While reaching 67 recommendations grants Eisenkot a strong mathematical advantage, securing the mandate to form a government does not automatically guarantee an operational cabinet.

The Joint List emphasised that its decision was driven by a strong "public demand to prevent Netanyahu and his government from returning to power". The Joint List made clear it has deep-seated policy disagreements with parts of the Jewish opposition's platform and will not formally join Eisenkot's governing coalition, though it may offer support from the outside.
With consultations wrapping up, President Isaac Herzog is expected to formally task Gadi Eisenkot with the first attempt to assemble Israel's next government.

Although Eisenkot had already secured recommendations from more Knesset members than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Joint List's backing will take his total to 67, giving him a majority of recommendations in the next Knesset. However, the recommendations do not necessarily mean that the parties backing him will ultimately join his coalition, according to the Times of Israel.
As per the news report, the Joint List said its support for Eisenkot was important despite the opposition bloc's failure so far to demonstrate sufficient willingness to “confront Netanyahu’s path, as well as to fight incitement against Arab citizens and attempts to undermine the legitimacy of their political decision.”

“Although Eisenkot has received more recommendations than Netanyahu, we believe it is important to widen the gap between them,” the Joint List said.
It argued that the move could strengthen the chances of replacing the government and reduce the possibility of a unity government that would allow Netanyahu to remain in power.

A Joint List delegation is scheduled to present its recommendation to President Isaac Herzog on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Moshe Maya, a senior member of Shas's ruling Council of Torah Sages, has urged Eisenkot to join Netanyahu in a rotation government, with ultra-Orthodox parties and Religious Zionism participating in the coalition, as per the Times of Israel.
As cited by the Times of Israel in an interview with an "ultra-Orthodox" Israeli newspaper, Maya said, “The only solution is a unity government, and this is Eisenkot’s real moment of truth.”

He urged Eisenkot to avoid the “radical left” and agree to a rotation premiership with Netanyahu.
Maya argued that Likud and Yashar would together have 48 seats, while the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, along with the Religious Zionism party, would contribute another 19 seats, taking the proposed coalition towards a parliamentary majority.

The proposal comes after Shas suffered a significant electoral setback, falling from 11 seats to six in last week's election, marking its worst performance since 1992. The party has recommended Netanyahu for the premiership during its consultation with President Herzog, according to the Times of Israel. 
Maya attributed Shas's electoral losses to declining support among traditional voters amid media criticism of the party's opposition to the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in the military.

“Many people who had voted for Shas in the past bought the media’s poisonous messages against yeshiva students,” he said, adding that some traditional right-wing voters had instead opted for Likud.
Breaking away from its traditional political alignment, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party has opted against endorsing any candidate for prime minister during consultations with Israel's President Isaac Herzog, choosing instead to withhold its backing from longtime ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Times of Israel reported. 

This significant political shift follows directives issued to both factions comprising the seven-seat party, specifically Degel HaTorah, representing Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox Jews with four seats, and Agudat Yisrael, representing Hasidic ultra-Orthodox Jews with three seats, by their respective spiritual leaders, instructing them not to endorse a candidate.
Consequently, this move elevates Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot into a dominant position in the tally of recommendations, securing 56 parliamentary endorsements following Ra’am’s declaration that its eight lawmakers will support him, whereas Netanyahu currently holds 46 as the head of state weighs whom to task with forming the upcoming administration.

Separately, opposition parties in Israel are seeking to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana during the inaugural session of the 26th Knesset on November 10, with their combined parliamentary strength giving them the numbers to elect his successor, although disagreements over a replacement candidate remain unresolved, The Times of Israel reported.

The move follows separate letters from Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats demanding that the election of a new speaker be placed on the agenda of the opening session on November 10. Responding to the demands, Ohana, a Likud lawmaker, said that he would schedule an early discussion on electing his successor if at least 61 lawmakers formally requested it.
Against this backdrop of coalition manoeuvring following the legislative elections held on October 27, Israel's newly elected 26th parliament is slated to convene for its inaugural session on Tuesday, November 10.