JERUSALEM (The Thursday Times) — Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that his B’Yachad party will recommend that President Isaac Herzog task Gadi Eisenkot with forming Israel’s next government, stepping aside in the contest to lead the opposition’s bid.
“Throughout the election campaign I promised to respect the voter’s decision, and that is what I am doing now,” Bennett wrote on X. “Good luck, Gadi!”
B’Yachad won 12 seats in last week’s election, behind Eisenkot’s Yashar on 21. The main opposition parties had not agreed on a single candidate before the vote, with Bennett, Eisenkot and Avigdor Liberman all competing for the top job.
Bennett’s decision firms up the numbers ahead of Herzog’s consultations with the parties, which begin on Wednesday. Parties holding 60 seats are expected to back Eisenkot, against 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu and United Torah Judaism undecided. Herzog must name a candidate by November 11.
The endorsement settles who should try first, not whether he can succeed. The Jewish-led opposition holds only 48 of the 61 seats needed for a majority, and Bennett has previously rejected relying on the Arab parties, whose 19 seats make up about a third of Eisenkot’s expected support. His post did not address what kind of government he would join.
