Israeli President Isaac Herzog will decide Sunday who gets the first chance to form a government after an inconclusive October election left no faction with a parliamentary majority.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, received endorsements from 67 of 120 Knesset members during consultations with Herzog that ended Thursday. But his support depends largely on Palestinian-led parties, whom Eisenkot has ruled out including in government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received only 46 endorsements, partly because United Torah Judaism, one of his allies, withheld support over a dispute about military conscription for ultra-Orthodox Israelis.
No bloc holds the 61 seats needed for a majority. Netanyahu's right-wing alliance controls 53 seats. Four Jewish-led parties backing Eisenkot hold 48. Palestinian-led parties hold 19. The Arab-led Joint List and United Arab List (Ra'am) have endorsed Eisenkot but said they would not formally join his government unless he meets conditions including labeling Hamas a "terrorist organisation." Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas declined to use that label.
Herzog said on Thursday that "mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves" make coalition arithmetic unclear. He has not publicly committed to either side.
The chosen nominee will have 28 days to build a coalition, extendable by 14 days. If they fail, another nominee gets 28 days, then a third gets 14 days. If no government forms, the Knesset dissolves and a new election occurs within 90 days, during which Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister.