Arab parties back Eisenkot in Israeli coalition talks
The support improves his chances, but a majority in the Knesset is still far from certain.
Follow-up to: Israel begins talks on new government Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 22:09
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Arab parties in Israel have recommended opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot as a candidate for prime minister. This gives him more room in coalition talks, but the result does not yet produce an automatic majority.
Israel’s Arab Joint List said on Thursday that it wanted to support Eisenkot in forming a new government. Ra’am, another Arab-Israeli party, has also recommended him. The support is primarily intended to prevent a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu; the parties do not necessarily have to join the government themselves.
President Isaac Herzog has begun consultations with the parties elected to the new Knesset. He must ultimately decide who will be given the task of forming a coalition. Under the procedure described, the designated candidate has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a government.
According to Al Jazeera, the 27 October election did not produce a clear majority. Al Jazeera reported that Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats and Eisenkot’s bloc 48. According to Al Jazeera, the Arab-led parties won 19 seats between them. A majority in the 120-seat parliament requires 61 seats.
With Ra’am’s support, Eisenkot is expected to have the backing of 56 lawmakers, according to reports. The Joint List could take him past the threshold of 61, but the party has not yet fully set out its precise position and conditions. Some of Eisenkot’s allies are also wary of working with parties that reject Israel’s identity as a Jewish state.
For Arab parties, supporting a Jewish-Israeli-led cabinet carries a heavy historical burden. The Joint List wants influence over policy and equal rights for Arab citizens, but by supporting Eisenkot it could become associated with a government that does not necessarily end Israel’s wars or settlement expansion. For Eisenkot’s camp, cooperation is both a possible way out of the deadlock and a source of internal division.
If neither of the two major blocs can form a government, Israel could go to the polls again. For the Netherlands and Europe, the coalition talks matter because the future government will influence Israel’s war policy, its relationship with the Palestinians and the diplomatic room for manoeuvre surrounding the Middle East.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Arab-led parties have recommended Eisenkot.
- Neither of the two major blocs has 61 seats on its own.
- President Herzog is consulting the parties before assigning the task of forming a government.
Left
Arguments Cooperation with Arab parties could increase the parliamentary equality of Arab citizens and make possible a government less dependent on nationalist and religious right-wing parties.
Values Equal civil rights, pluralism and a political way out of a prolonged concentration of power.
Consequences A coalition could give Arab parties greater influence, but it would also have to offer credible policies on war, settlements and Palestinian rights.
Centre
Arguments The institutional route is decisive: Herzog must first appoint a candidate, after which the parties must reach a workable agreement on government and policy.
Values Stability, constitutional procedures and governability.
Consequences A broad but fragile coalition could break the deadlock, while incompatible conditions could lead to new elections.
Right
Arguments A government dependent for its majority on parties that reject Israel’s Jewish state identity could, in this view, lack sufficient national legitimacy and security guarantees.
Values National security, Jewish self-determination and a clear basis for government.
Consequences Rejecting cooperation could cost Eisenkot his majority, but cooperation could also produce a cabinet under constant internal pressure.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The factual core, distribution of seats and coalition-forming procedure were checked against AP and Al Jazeera. Interpretations of the political consequences have been presented as perspectives or uncertainties.
- confirmed The Joint List and Ra’am have recommended Eisenkot as a candidate for prime minister. — The support of both Arab-led parties is described in the reporting consulted. source
- confirmed Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats and Eisenkot’s has 48. — Al Jazeera gives this distribution. source
- confirmed A majority requires 61 of the 120 seats. — The seat distribution and required majority are stated in the source. source
- confirmed The candidate receives 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension. — The source describes the coalition-forming procedure in these terms. source
Editor's note
The statements of support and seat totals have been confirmed by AP and Al Jazeera. Eisenkot has not yet been given the task of forming a government, and the final coalition remains uncertain.Sources
The story so far
- Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 22:09 Israel begins talks on new government
- Thursday, 5 November 2026, 16:42 Arab parties back Eisenkot in Israeli coalition talks (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „israël gadi eisenkot”
- AD — „israël gadi eisenkot”
- de Volkskrant — „israël gadi eisenkot”