Eisenkot Schemes Minority Government with Ra’am and UTJ Maneuvers
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Gadi Eisenkot is exploring a fragile minority government that would lean on Ra’am and abstentions from United Torah Judaism in a bid to dislodge Prime Minister Netanyahu after Israel's inconclusive election.
Gadi Eisenkot is examining the possibility of establishing a minority government that would depend on support from Ra’am and abstentions from United Torah Judaism, as reported by Ynet. This arrangement could let Eisenkot's bloc, which holds 48 seats, scrape together 49 votes with the backing of Ra’am lawmaker Yoav Segalovitz. If United Torah Judaism withholds its seven votes from Prime Minister Netanyahu, his opposing bloc would shrink from 53 seats to 46.
The proposal also assumes the Joint List would abstain from voting against the government. However, Eisenkot's bloc is not even looking to negotiate with the Joint List, concentrating instead on its willingness to help push Netanyahu aside. Ahmad Tibi, a lawmaker from the Joint List, has already said the party wants to oust Netanyahu's government.
The potential arrangement remains in the exploratory phase and would demand serious compromises among parties with very different priorities. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman has strongly opposed any government reliant on Arab or ultra-Orthodox parties, posing a major hurdle for the proposed coalition.
Eisenkot's team is reportedly checking whether United Torah Judaism could back the government from outside the coalition until legislation on military service exemptions is passed, after which it might formally join. Yet reaching such a deal could be difficult, since conscription exemptions are a key priority for the ultra-Orthodox party, while the extent of concessions Eisenkot would make remains unclear.
Ra’am’s demands also have to be weighed, with party leader Mansour Abbas seeking inclusion in the coalition even if Segalovitz is the only representative in the government. The minority government option could also be used as leverage in negotiations with Netanyahu over a possible unity government, although many within Eisenkot's bloc reject that idea.
The parties aiming to replace Netanyahu have still not reached a consensus on a candidate for Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana's position, with Eisenkot pushing for his faction to receive the role while Lieberman is advocating Yisrael Beytenu lawmaker Oded Forer. In response to the developments, Eisenkot’s Yashar party reaffirmed its commitment to replacing the current government but refused to comment on internal discussions, saying that various reports do not necessarily reflect its position.