Israeli opposition favors ultra-Orthodox over Arab parties

Opposition summit

Leaders of Israel's opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot convened in Herzliya on Tuesday and agreed to seek a mandate from President Isaac Herzog to form the next government, amid indications that the coalition-seeking alliance favors partnerships with ultra-Orthodox factions over Arab parties. The gathering marked the first meeting of opposition leaders since last week's parliamentary elections left neither their bloc nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp with a majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Participants included Yashar leader Eisenkot, Together leader Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, and Democrats leader Yair Golan, according to Israeli Channel 12. Arab party leaders were not invited to the session despite previously expressing willingness to help block Netanyahu from securing another term.

Coalition calculations

Channel 12 reported that the opposition leaders met for approximately one hour and agreed to select a candidate for Knesset speaker by Monday without identifying potential contenders. "As for forming the government, they decided to discuss this at a later stage," the broadcaster reported, citing participants. "Nevertheless, there appears to be greater openness to forming a government that includes the ultra-Orthodox parties than one that includes the Arab parties," Channel 12 added.

The reported election results indicate Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, Jewish opposition parties secured 48, and Arab parties obtained 19, meaning a governing coalition requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers. The opposition's apparent preference for religious partners over Arab factions comes as President Herzog is scheduled to begin two days of consultations with parliamentary parties on Wednesday before deciding which lawmaker to task with forming a government.

Military service dispute

The ultra-Orthodox parties' demands for military service exemptions for religious seminary students are expected to play a central role in any coalition negotiations. Shas, which holds six seats, and United Torah Judaism, with seven, currently belong to Netanyahu's bloc but could become kingmakers if the opposition seeks to expand its base.

Shas leader Aryeh Deri said on October 14 that his party would neither join nor support a future government unless the students' legal status was resolved through special legislation. On Tuesday, Shas announced that it would recommend Netanyahu to form the next government, citing his commitment to regulating the status of Torah students.

Netanyahu's bloc has fallen from 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset to 53, leaving him dependent on additional parliamentary support while accommodating his ultra-Orthodox allies' demands. The Central Elections Committee is scheduled to announce the official results on Wednesday amid challenges to the outcome by Netanyahu and the far right.