Odds against Netanyahu as Arab parties back Eisenkot as Israel PM; Shin Bet continues voter fraud probe

After a second day of consultations with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be losing ground in the battle to form the next government following the general election. On Thursday, the Arab alliance, the Joint List, announced its support for Gadi Eisenkot as its choice for prime minister.

If Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot manages to take his bloc to 67 seats with support from Jewish and Arab parties, he would secure the mandate to become the next prime minister of Israel (AFP)Arab party Ra'am also announced it is ready to back Eisenkot as prime minister.

If all agree, Eisenkot jumps to 67 seats in the Knesset, which allows him to form the government. However, the road to PM will not be easy. Track the latest on Israel election results here Meanwhile, the Netanyahu bloc continues to allege voter fraud and foreign funding took place, with Shin Bet chief David Zini comparing the alleged interference to the security failure which led to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

As the deliberations continue, President Herzog has said that he will task a leader to form the next government by Sunday, November 8. Here's a look at where the government formation stands in Israel. After the second day of consultations, President Herzog announced that he would grant the mandate to one of the candidates on Sunday.

The Israeli president added that he intends to meet with several party heads in private over the weekend to "leave no stone unturned to bring about the formation of a good, stable government for the people of Israel." Herzog became a key player in the government formation after the October 27 vote ended in a deadlock, with neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot securing the 61-seat majority mark.

Herzog held a second day of consultations with political parties on Thursday after the October 27 election. During this, the odds tipped in favour of Gadi Eisenkot, after the Arab alliance's Joint List backed the Yashar leader.

In the Eisenkot camp, B'Yachad, the Democrats and Yiseral Beytenu have also announced their support for the candidate. With support from Ra'am and Joint List, the Eisenkot bloc can go upto 67 seats in the Knesset. However, to do so, the bloc's parties will have to break their "anti-Arab" pact and form a coalition with Arab parties.

Backing Eisenkot, the Joint List said in a statement to Israeli media that its recommendation aims to improve the chances of replacing the government and reduce the prospect of a unity government that would keep Netanyahu in power.

Meanwhile, for Eisenkot ally Yisrael Beytenu, the support is there, but it has ruled out a government that relies on Arab parties. Ultra Orthodox group United Torah Judaism, which has backed Netanyahu after the previous five elections, in its meeting with Herzog declined to recommend Netanyahu again as PM.

But the party did not side with Eisenkot either. The party informed Herzog "that it has decided not to recommend any member of Knesset to form a government", the president's office said in a statement, referring to the 120-member parliament in which United Torah Judaism won seven seats.

The UTJ's main criteria for backing a leader is military exemption for religious students in Israel. Despite Israel's Central Election Committee denying voter fraud and foreign interference in the October 27 elections, the Netanyahu camp continues to maintain the claim.

In the latest development, the head of Shin Bet, which is Israel's top security agency, David Zini, has compared the allegations of foreign interference to the security failure that led to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and a war with Gaza.

As per Channel 12, the Shin Bet chief also compared its probe into foreign funding for Arab parties to the Yom Kippur War of 1973.