Israel's newly elected lawmakers take oath as coalition talks gather pace

The 120 newly elected members of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, are taking their oath today, Tuesday. The next task is to finalise the members of the coalition that will form the government.

Opposition bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot has already begun that work at the invitation of President Isaac Herzog.

If he succeeds in forming a coalition, Eisenkot will inform the president and the speaker of parliament. A session to form the government must then be called within seven days. At that session, Eisenkot's government will have to pass a confidence vote.

Eisenkot, a former army chief turned politician, was given the task of forming a government by President Herzog last Sunday. He has 28 days for the job. Herzog can extend the time by a further 14 days if needed.

In the election of 27 October, Eisenkot's bloc won 48 seats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc won 53. With the 19 seats of two Arab parties added, Eisenkot's side reaches 67.

But if seven members of one of his partners withhold their support, that number falls to 60. A majority requires the support of 61 members.

The Arab-led Ra'am won 8 seats and the Joint List won 11. Both parties recommended that Eisenkot be given the task of forming the government. They could support him in the confidence vote without joining the cabinet. If needed, Eisenkot is considering forming a minority government with the support of other parties in the parliament's confidence vote.

However, Avigdor Lieberman, the right-wing leader in Eisenkot's bloc, has said his party's seven members will not join a government that depends on the support of Arab parties. According to an AFP report, even if a government is formed with Arab support, it could collapse over differences on Israel's military operation in Gaza.

Netanyahu's two old allies, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), hold a total of 13 seats. With the support of these two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, Eisenkot's bloc would reach exactly 61.

But the two parties want religious students to be exempt from compulsory military service. Eisenkot has proposed keeping the option of civilian national service for them. The Jerusalem Post reported that if this question is resolved, Shas may consider supporting Eisenkot. But the party wants UTJ to take the first step in leaving Netanyahu's camp.

At today's opening session of the Knesset, Eisenkot's party Yesh Atid has moved to replace Speaker Amir Ohana. Yesh Atid has written to two parties seeking support for this move.