The political struggle to form a new government in Israel has intensified following the swearing-in of the country’s new Parliament.
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief, has accepted the President’s invitation to form a new government and has been granted a 28-day period to do so. Meanwhile, foreign media report that the alliance supporting former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed the formation of a new national unity government.
The Israeli Parliament consists of 120 seats; Eisenkot’s party alliance holds 48 seats, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s alliance holds 53 seats. It is reported that the uncertainty arising from the fact that no single party has been able to secure a majority will likely intensify further over the next two weeks.
Notably, two Arab parties in Israel have won 19 seats. While their support could prove decisive in the formation of a new government, there are disagreements regarding this within Eisenkot’s alliance as well.