Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu suffered a another setback in his bid to retain power on Thursday after the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party declined to endorse any candidate to form the next government, while an Arab-led party backed his main rival Gadi Eisenkot.
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party → suffer → rival
The developments have strengthened Eisenkot's position ahead of a crucial decision by Israeli president Isaac Herzog on whom to invite to form the next government, following the inconclusive October 27 election.
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developments → strengthen → election
Herzog was scheduled to meet Netanyahu and Eisenkot separately at his residence in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, concluding consultations with political parties that began a day earlier.
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that → schedule → parties
Under Israeli law, the president must nominate the lawmaker he believes has the best chance of forming a government, not necessarily the leader of the party that won the most seats.
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that → nominate → seats
Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
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Likud → emerge → Knesset
However, his broader nationalist-religious bloc secured only 53 seats, falling short of a parliamentary majority.
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bloc → secure → majority
Eisenkot's anti-Netanyahu bloc, comprising four Jewish-led parties from the centre-left to the right, won 48 seats.
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bloc → comprise → seats
The two Arab-led parties secured a combined 19 seats, an unprecedented result that has made their support particularly significant in the government formation process.
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support → lead → process
UTJ's decision to withhold its recommendation marks a rift with Netanyahu, its longstanding political ally.
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decision → withhold → Netanyahu
The seven-seat party comprises two factions — Degel HaTorah, representing Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox Jews, and Agudat Yisrael, representing Hasidic ultra-Orthodox Jews.
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party → comprise → Jews
Degel HaTorah, which holds four of the party's seats, said it would not recommend any candidate following instructions from its spiritual leaders.
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it → hold → leaders
The position of the remaining three Agudat Yisrael lawmakers had also been uncertain.
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position → remain → lawmakers
The disagreement stems from Netanyahu's failure to pass legislation guaranteeing military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men studying in religious seminaries, a longstanding demand of the community.
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disagreement → stem → community
UTJ representatives have indicated that their support for any future government would depend on legislation protecting these exemptions.
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support → indicate → exemptions
The party had reportedly considered supporting a minority government led by Eisenkot without formally joining it, signalling a possible break from its longstanding alliance with Netanyahu.
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party → consider → Netanyahu
Meanwhile, the Arab-led Ra'am party announced that its eight lawmakers would recommend Eisenkot, giving him a clearer lead in the presidential consultations.
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lawmakers → lead → consultations
The other Arab-led faction, the Joint List, had yet to clarify whether it would also back him or abstain.
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it → lead → him
Despite the shift in recommendations, Eisenkot faces his own coalition-building difficulties.
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Eisenkot → face → difficulties
While his bloc has ruled out a government with Netanyahu, several of its constituent parties have also resisted relying on Arab-led parties or cooperating with ultra-Orthodox factions.
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several → rule → factions
Herzog has urged political parties to overcome their differences and avoid another election, pointing to the security and diplomatic challenges facing Israel.
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Herzog → urge → Israel
The election results have also triggered a dispute over allegations of voter fraud.
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results → trigger → fraud
Netanyahu and his allies have accused Arab-led parties of benefiting from possible vote tampering, with critics alleging that the prime minister's camp is attempting to cast doubt on the results to undermine the outcome.
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camp → accuse → outcome
Israel's Central Election Committee said on Wednesday that the integrity of the election had not been compromised.
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integrity → say → election
Sohlberg urged elected representatives to protect public trust rather than weaken it.
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Sohlberg → urge → it
Herzog has until November 11 to decide whom to nominate.
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Herzog → have → whom
The candidate who receives the mandate will have up to 42 days to put together a governing coalition.
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who → receive → coalition
If no candidate succeeds, Israel could face another election.
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Israel → succeed → election
Netanyahu will remain prime minister in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.
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government → remain → capacity
The Aporia
