Eisenkot Holds Lead as Israeli President Begins Coalition Talks

Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party currently holds the lead in the race to form Israel’s next government, with 56 recommendations compared to 53 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Isaac Herzog began formal consultations on Wednesday evening to determine which lawmaker receives the mandate to build a coalition. The two-day process is scheduled to conclude on Thursday with the largest parties.

The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, which holds seven seats in the Knesset, revealed a sharp internal split during the talks. The Degel HaTorah faction, representing the Ashkenazi community and led by Chairman MK Yaakov Asher, announced it would abstain from recommending a candidate. The faction stated it is following the instructions of Rabbis Dov Lando and Moshe Hillel Hirsch. The remaining three lawmakers from the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction have not yet declared their position.

This division stems from the outgoing coalition’s failure to pass a law securing military service exemptions for Haredi men. Shas, which suffered its worst election loss since 1992, confirmed its support for Netanyahu. Party representatives defended their stance on conscription, stating they prioritize the value of Torah scholars. They urged Herzog to grant the mandate to Netanyahu, arguing that any unity government is his responsibility to form.

Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party endorsed Eisenkot. MK Oded Forer explained that the party intends to rule out coalitions with both Arab and Haredi parties. He described the refusal as strategic, noting that the current government has not taken responsibility for the October 7 events. Forer suggested that elements within Likud might be open to future cooperation.

Tensions surfaced during the initial sessions between the president and party representatives. Orit Strock, representing Religious Zionism, recommended Netanyahu and argued that Arab parties are not legitimate participants due to their nationalist stance. Herzog challenged this view, asking how to distinguish such claims from racism. He pointed out that Yoav Segalovitz, a Jewish police commander, is the second candidate on the Arab-led Ra’am list.

Herzog also rebuked Religious Zionism representative Tzvika Mor for calling the election results a hostile takeover of the state. The president described the remark as extremely dangerous. Moshe Feiglin, the sole member of the Zehut party, recommended Netanyahu but expressed concern over the election’s legitimacy due to ongoing investigations into alleged voter fraud.

The Arab-led Joint List had not yet indicated whether it would support Eisenkot or abstain. If Eisenkot receives the mandate, he will have a maximum of 42 days to form a government. His path may be complicated by internal opposition within his own bloc to working with both Arab and Haredi partners. Consultations are set to resume on Thursday morning with United Torah Judaism, followed by other major parties.