Arab Parties Recommend Eisenkot for Government Formation

President Yitzhak Herzog continued consultations on Thursday with parliamentary factions regarding the candidate to form the next government. The consultations are set to conclude Thursday evening, after which Herzog will decide who receives the mandate. The United Arab List announced it would recommend Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the "Yachad" party, for the task, a recommendation also made by the Democratic party. Yoav Segalovich commented on election-related suspicions against Zini, stating he had never witnessed such absurdity, including the transfer of information from the Prime Minister's office to a police commander and arrests on election day, nor media leaks suggesting the Shin Bet chief sought to investigate party leaders without evidence. Segalovich appeared to defend the United Arab List during the consultations, responding to President Herzog's question about the party's recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Segalovich affirmed that while the Declaration of Independence establishes Israel as a Jewish state, it also enshrines its values as a democracy guaranteeing equal rights for all citizens.

Meanwhile, the United Torah Judaism party announced it would not recommend any candidate for government formation, following a directive from its rabbis. Representatives from the Otzma Yehudit party recommended Benjamin Netanyahu, raising claims about election integrity. They alleged that funds were paid to purchase votes for lists that do not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization, expressing distrust in the election results.