Eisenkot Favoured to Form Israeli Government as United Torah Judaism Withholds Recommendation
Gadi Eisenkot is now the leading candidate to receive the mandate to build a coalition, while United Torah Judaism declined to endorse any candidate after the October 27 election.
President Isaac Herzog began a second day of consultations with parties following Israel's October 27 election, during which neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor former military chief Gadi Eisenkot secured a clear majority. While the president can appoint any lawmaker to try forming a government, tradition favours the individual recommended by the most parties, positioning Eisenkot as the frontrunner.
United Torah Judaism, which had supported Netanyahu in the previous five elections, informed Herzog that it would not recommend any Knesset member to form a government, a statement issued by the president's office. The party, representing ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi Jews, along with Shas, which represents Sephardic ultra-Orthodox communities, have both backed Netanyahu's stance on preserving exemptions from military service for religious students.
"In whatever government is next formed, our immediate item is sorting out the status of Torah students," United Torah Judaism lawmaker Isaac Pindrus said.
Eisenkot has signalled a willingness to end these exemptions, a position that has drawn criticism from some coalition partners who view the ultra-Orthodox community as a fiscal burden. The Raam list, led by Arab-Israeli lawmaker Mansour Abbas, also recommended Eisenkot, raising the prospect of an Arab-Israeli bloc playing a decisive role in any coalition.
Netanyahu's bloc, including United Torah Judaism, holds 53 seats, compared with 48 for Eisenkot's bloc. If tasked, Eisenkot would have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to assemble a governing coalition; failure would prompt Herzog to assign the mandate to another lawmaker.