Ra’am will recommend Eisenkot for PM, likely giving him first shot at forming government

The Arab-led Ra’am party announces in a brief statement that it will recommend Gadi Eisenkot to be the next prime minister of Israel, likely meaning that the opposition candidate will get the first chance to form a governing coalition.

Ra’am’s eight incoming lawmakers endorsing Eisenkot bring the total number backing him to 56, as opposed to 53 for incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The remaining 11 seats are held by the Arab-led Joint List, which also opposes Netanyahu but may abstain from recommending a prime ministerial candidate.

Eisenkot’s plurality means that President Isaac Herzog, who chooses which candidate to tap to form a coalition, will likely turn to Eisenkot first. Eisenkot will have a maximum of 42 days from the time he is chosen to form a coalition.

Ra’am’s endorsement does not mean Eisenkot has an easy path to a government. He vowed before the election not to include Ra’am in his government. In addition, one of Eisenkot’s allies, Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman, vowed not to support the formation of a minority government.

Neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu has a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Yisrael Beytenu is currently meeting with Herzog and has committed to recommend Eisenkot for prime minister.