Tension over PM's chair in Israel: Matter stuck on the issue of support from Arab parties; President says - If you want to form a government, give up the conditions

The picture of the formation of a new government in Israel is slowly becoming clearer. After two days of negotiations with President Isaac Herzog, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has received the support of 56 MPs for the post of prime minister. In favor of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 46 MPs have made recommendations. The religious party United Tora Judaism (UTJ) has not endorsed any candidate. This has increased Netanyahu's woes. President Herzog has told all parties that if they want to prevent the country from going to re-election, they will have to give up some of their terms and promises. In fact, no coalition got a majority in the elections held on October 27. Now efforts are being made to bring different parties together to form a government. Four opposition leaders came together to remove Netanyahu After the election, four major opposition leaders held a meeting in Herzliya on November 3. These included Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid and Yair Golan. These leaders agreed to work together to remove Netanyahu from power and immediately start negotiations to form a government. At the meeting, these leaders proposed the formation of a government of national emergency. For this, four basic principles were set. However, these leaders have only 48 seats in total. They need at least 13 more MPs for a majority. Therefore, they will have to seek the support of Arab parties or other parties. This is the biggest political challenge in front of them. Who supported whom at the presidential meeting? In support of Netanyahu: The religious right-wing party regime and religious Zionism recommended giving Netanyahu a chance to form a government again. The Jihut party also supported him. In support of Eisenkot: Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Bettenu party supported Eisenkot. Support of the Ra'am Party: The Arab party Ra'im also recommended that Eisenkot be given a chance to form a government. With the support of its 8 MPs, the number of recommendations in favor of Eisenkot increased to 56. The UTJ did not endorse: The Digel Thora branch of United Tora Judaism refused to support any candidate. It has 4 MPs. The party's religious leaders made this decision. The biggest challenge against Eisenkot is the disagreement within the opposition over the support of Arab parties. Arab parties have a total of 19 seats in the Israeli parliament. Of these, Mansour Abbas's Ra'am party has 8 seats and the Joint List has 11 seats. Ra'im has supported Eisenkot, but the Joint List has not yet made it clear whether it will support them. If the two Arab parties come together with Eisenkot, then the position of the opposition can become much stronger. However, there is no consensus among the opposition parties on this issue. Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the Israel Battenu, is against forming a government with Arab parties. He is also a supporter of making military service compulsory for all citizens. In such a situation, there is a double challenge in front of Eisenkot. Getting the support of Arab parties may offend some of his Jewish allies. But it is also difficult to get a majority without their support. One way could be for the opposition parties to form the government and the Arab parties to support from outside. That is, they do not join the government, but vote in its favor when needed in the parliament or abstain from voting. However, not all opposition parties agree on this arrangement either. The demands of religious parties can also lead to confusion. The role of religious parties is also important in trying to form a government. In particular, the stance of United Torah Judaism (UTJ) could increase the difficulties of both Netanyahu and the opposition. The UTJ has 7 seats. The party is divided into two groups. Degel Thothurah has 4 seats and Agudat Israel has 3 seats. Degel Thorah has not endorsed any prime ministerial candidate. The UTJ has been an ally of Netanyahu for a long time, but this time it is upset with him. The main reason for this is the law allowing Jewish youth studying in religious educational institutions to serve in the army. Netanyahu's previous government could not pass this law. The UTJ wants the next government to make a law that will exempt young people studying in religious institutions from recruitment in the army. This demand also creates problems for Eisenkot. Opposition leaders have talked about compulsory military service for all citizens. In such a situation, accepting the demands of religious parties could lead to the opposition of Eisenkott from his own allies. The government has to be formed in 42 days, the parliament will meet on November 10. In Israel, the office of the president is usually considered formal, but he has an important role in the formation of the government after the election. The President invites the leader who has the best chance of getting a majority in the parliament to form the government. For this, they are not obliged to choose the leader who receives the most recommendations. After getting the opportunity to form the government, the concerned leader is given 28 days. If the government cannot be formed during this time, then the president can give an additional 14 days. That is, the attempt to form the government has to be completed in a total of 42 days. The first meeting of Israel's new parliament is expected to be held on November 10. If Eisenhower or Netanyahu cannot form the government within the stipulated time, the president can give a chance to another leader. If all efforts fail, the path to new elections can be opened.