Eisenkot Sets 58-Seat Floor for New Israeli Government Bid

Gadi Eisenkot is targeting a floor of 58 seats in the Knesset to form a new Israeli government. The number represents the minimum threshold his faction believes is necessary to trigger a confidence vote that could bring a minority administration into power. This strategy aims to bypass the traditional requirement of 61 seats for a stable coalition.

Polling data currently places the anti-Netanyahu camp ahead of the outgoing ruling bloc. However, the Zionist parties seeking change do not yet hold the 61 seats required for a standard majority under existing agreements. While some surveys suggest the right-wing bloc may also lack a majority, others indicate it could secure enough support. The final seat distribution may hinge on small voting margins and the impact of the electoral threshold.

Eisenkot seeks to lead this new government and has rejected serving under Benjamin Netanyahu, even in a rotation deal. His proposal involves forming a government after winning a confidence vote without permanent backing from 61 MKs. The administration would then work to expand its parliamentary support base over time.

Legal experts note that swearing in a government requires a majority in the confidence vote, not necessarily 61 affirmative votes. Abstentions could therefore allow a minority government to take office. This distinction differs from a constructive vote of no confidence, which requires 61 MKs to back an alternative government. The minority scenario may apply during government formation but would not allow the bloc to remove a sitting Netanyahu government by simple majority alone.

Avigdor Liberman categorically rejects the minority concept. He insists on a Zionist majority from the start and has stated that another election would be preferable to a government that fails to meet his conditions. Liberman has proposed bringing Likud MKs into a government without Netanyahu, though he has not named specific candidates and no public talks are currently under way.

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who head the Beyachad list, align with Liberman in demanding a Zionist government. They refuse to rely on the votes or abstentions of Arab parties for the initial majority. Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats, has not ruled out cooperation with Ra'am, though no formula has been agreed upon to carry out such a plan.

A meeting between Eisenkot and Liberman this week ended with a joint call to increase voter turnout but did not resolve their disagreement. Leadership rivalry persists, with Eisenkot aiming to head the largest party and Bennett viewing himself as the natural candidate due to his experience as prime minister.

The opposition bloc is also nearing agreement on replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. This move is intended to occur before any coalition deal is struck, giving Netanyahu's opponents control of the parliamentary agenda even if he remains head of a caretaker government. The speaker is elected early in a new Knesset term, and the bloc could draw on Arab party MKs to assemble a majority for an agreed candidate.

Names raised for the speakership include Chili Tropper, Matan Kahana, and Elazar Stern from Eisenkot's list. Meirav Ben-Ari and Eitan Ginzburg are candidates from the Bennett-Lapid list, while Efrat Rayten represents the Democrats and attorney Oded Forer represents Yisrael Beytenu. No consensus candidate has been announced. Liberman estimates that up to one-third of outgoing coalition MKs might vote against Ohana, though they would have to do so openly.