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Israeli President Isaac Herzog will officially hand the mandate of forming the next government to Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot on Sunday. According to reports in the Israel media, the leaders of the Change Bloc are set to announce an agreement on who will be the new Speaker of the Knesset ahead of the swearing-in of the new lawmakers on Tuesday.
The Haaretz has further reported that the Arab party Raam will support a government led by Eisenkot. Haaretz cited an unnamed senior member of the eight-MK Arab-led party to confirm the development. The other Arab party in the Knesset , the Joint list will not vote in favour of Eisenkot but will not seek to topple the Change Bloc with its members likely to abstain. Earlier, after his meeting with Herzog, Eisenkot posted, "Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy." His partner in the Change Bloc, Yair Golan also assured that the bloc would do everything to keep Netanyahu out of power and accused the incumbent Prime Minister of trying to delegitimize the election "Netanyahu understands that this time he is out. He sees the change government taking shape, and he is afraid. After years of inciting, dividing, pitting people against one another and trying to delegitimize the change bloc, he suddenly remembers unity. This is political panic. A survival attempt by someone who understands that his rule is coming to an end. We will not let him sabotage this opportunity too. We will form a government that will dismantle Hamas rule, restore security to Israels citizens, strengthen democracy, investigate the worst disaster in the countrys history and begin to repair everything Netanyahu has destroyed. Israel needs leadership and responsibility, a real government of change," Golan said. Eisenkot, a retired military chief who spearheaded the centrist Yashar bloc during the parliamentary polls, will now have a statutory window of up to six weeks to negotiate with prospective allies and stitch together a viable majority capable of formally replacing Netanyahu in the prime minister's office. Gadi Eisenkots endorsements (67 seats) comprise of Jewish-led opposition bloc, 48 seats (Yashar, Together, The Democrats, Yisrael Beiteinu); the Ra'am party: 8 seats; and the Joint List: 11 seats. Benjamin Netanyahus endorsements (46 seats), down from his right-wing bloc's total election tally of 53 seats after UTJ withheld its endorsement with abstentions (7 seats). (ANI)
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