Arab Israeli Party Ra'am Endorses Eisenkot for Prime Minister

The Arab Israeli political party Ra'am has recommended Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government during consultations at the President's Residence. This endorsement is expected to bring Eisenkot's potential number of recommending Knesset members to 56, comprising the 48 mandates from the left-wing bloc and Ra'am's 8 seats. In contrast, Benjamin Netanyahu has secured recommendations from 46 members, after United Torah Judaism refused to endorse him, leaving him with support from Likud, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, and Shas. The Joint List, with 11 mandates, has yet to make its recommendation and is not expected to endorse any candidate, similar to the Ashkenazi Haredi parties. The Ra'am delegation to the President's Residence included Members of Knesset Mansour Abbas, Yoav Segalovitz, Walid Taha, Walid Al-Huashla, and Iman Khatib Yassin. During the consultations, when asked by President Herzog if he viewed Hamas as a terrorist organization, Mansour Abbas responded by stating that Ra'am, even before becoming a political party, was an Islamic movement. He added that it is not possible to constantly put them to the test of loyalty, adherence to the law, and respect for people's security and dignity.