Overview
- United Torah Judaism withdrew its long‑standing backing for Benjamin Netanyahu and declined to recommend any candidate during consultations, shifting the balance toward the opposition.
- The Arab Islamist party Raam pledged support for Gadi Eisenkot, giving his bloc a theoretical coalition of about 67 seats, above the 61 needed for a Knesset majority.
- President Isaac Herzog must name a lawmaker to try forming a government by November 11, and the designee would have 28 days with a possible 14‑day extension to build a coalition.
- Eisenkot faces key hurdles because many opposition parties disagree about accepting Arab‑party backing and Netanyahu and Likud are expected to try to block a transfer of power.
- If Eisenkot succeeds he is expected to keep a security focus while differing from Netanyahu on tougher action against violent West Bank settlers, rejecting regime change in Iran as a war aim, and seeking to repair ties with the United States, but any policy changes will depend on the final coalition makeup.