Israel's new parliament to be sworn in as Eisenkot seeks coalition

Israel's new parliament will be sworn in on Tuesday, with President Isaac Herzog scheduled to deliver a speech at 4 p.m. (14:00 GMT). Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc nor the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot commands a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Herzog gave Eisenkot an initial mandate to form a government, starting a 28-day period that can be extended by 14 days.

The opposition plans to use its legislative influence to advance priorities such as establishing a commission to investigate security failures that preceded the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

Eisenkot's party announced candidates for key posts, naming former senior military officer Matan Kahana as its nominee for speaker of the parliament.

Avigdor Lieberman, a right-wing opposition leader, is expected to be nominated as chair of the foreign affairs and defence committee.

To secure the 61 votes needed to approve a new government, Eisenkot may seek support from Arab-Israeli lawmakers, who won a record number of seats, or from the two ultra-Orthodox parties holding 13 seats.

Lieberman has indicated he will not rely on Arab-Israeli support and instead proposes an alliance with the ultra-Orthodox parties, despite his past criticism of their exemption from mandatory military service.

Eisenkot's bloc holds 48 seats, short of a majority, but could reach the threshold if Arab-Israeli legislators either join the coalition or vote in favor of it.

Both potential alliances would be fragile; Arab-Israeli lawmakers might oppose Eisenkot if he conducts another major offensive in Gaza, while the ultra-Orthodox parties could shift away from their long-standing partnership with Netanyahu.

Eisenkot has generally supported Netanyahu's war policies but has pledged to curb extremist settler activity in the West Bank.