Israel Coalition Math Leaves the Power Apparatus Intact

Ra’am’s eight incoming lawmakers have given Gadi Eisenkot 56 recommendations for prime minister, three more than Benjamin Netanyahu, but neither candidate has the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The numbers could put Eisenkot first in line to form a government. They don’t settle who can govern, or for whom.

President Isaac Herzog began consultations with representatives of Knesset factions at the President’s Residence on Wednesday evening. Eisenkot, as the candidate with more endorsements, was expected to be selected first and would have a maximum of 42 days from appointment to form a coalition. That process turns political authority into arithmetic: faction leaders recommend, the president assigns, and coalition partners bargain over control of the government.

The endorsement with a condition attached

Ra’am’s recommendation hasn’t removed the obstacle Eisenkot created himself. Before the election, he pledged not to include the party in his government. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman has vowed not to support a minority government, despite his party’s commitment to recommend Eisenkot. The Arab-led Joint List holds the remaining 11 seats and also opposes Netanyahu, but may abstain from recommending a candidate.

Eisenkot calls the government he wants a “national emergency government.” In a statement addressed to Israel’s “friends in the United States and around the world,” he said, “The Israeli people have voted for change and to replace the current government.” He promised “new leadership to Israel, leadership that serves all Israelis,” and described his aim as “a stronger Israel: A Jewish and democratic Israel.” The language offers change within the existing state framework, with leadership, coalition agreements and state institutions as the instruments.

His message also put Washington near the center of that project. Eisenkot called the U.S.-Israel relationship “more than an alliance between governments,” describing it as “a partnership between peoples, built over generations, sustained by shared democratic values.” He said he wanted to deepen the relationship and work with U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration on “shared security interests” and “regional stability.” The statement followed the Democratic victory in the U.S. midterms and came hours after Vice President JD Vance said the alliance had to undergo “change.”

Security claims and the election machinery

Netanyahu, meanwhile, accused opposition parties of relying on Arab parties and raised “serious suspicions that foreign states have spent considerable sums to influence the outcome of the elections in Israel.” He said forces of “radical Islam” threatened the country from abroad through Iran and its proxies and from within through “Islamist parties that support terrorism.” He argued that a government dependent on Arab parties would “tear us apart from within” and called for a “broad national government” under his leadership, open to all Zionist parties.

Netanyahu also called for a Shin Bet investigation into possible foreign interference involving senior Arab lawmakers, saying, “We must get to the whole truth, without a cover-up and without delay.” But Likud’s claim that the election was stolen and its unsuccessful bid to delay certification met a contrary finding from election authorities: the vote was properly conducted and the results were valid. A Haaretz editorial characterized Shin Bet chief David Zini as “an agent of chaos,” alleging that he fueled claims of interference and cast suspicion on Arab political leaders. Those are attributed claims, not findings established in the article.

An opinion article by Gershon Baskin sketches a different route through the same institutions: a hypothetical Eisenkot-led government with deadlines, public accountability, an independent state commission into the October 7, 2023 failures, and legislation to reverse measures weakening judicial independence. Its proposed program would direct security institutions, pursue investigations into violence against Palestinian civilians, and seek removal of unauthorized West Bank settlement outposts and installations. These are proposals, not government actions.

The plan would also leave the Joint List outside the cabinet, with a written agreement covering confidence votes, budgets, reforms and equality legislation. It calls for a weekly coalition leadership council and quarterly implementation reports. Baskin says replacing Netanyahu alone won’t be enough without decisions, deadlines and accountability. The proposed arrangement would change who occupies the offices and how they report progress; the article offers no grassroots alternative outside that apparatus.