Eizenkot maneuvers with a minority government: The Change camp aims to remove the Speaker of the Knesset

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - The Change Alliance is preparing for the possibility of forming a minority government, but Lieberman and Bennett oppose this step. Most opinion polls show that Netanyahu's opposition camp is ahead of the ruling coalition, but it does not currently have a majority that would allow it to form a government, amid varying estimates regarding the right's chances of victory. A few votes may decide the fate of the elections, between forming a new government or heading to another election.

In the change camp, the Israeli newspaper Maariv says, Gadi Eisenkot seeks to lead the bloc and form an alternative government, refusing to join a government headed by Netanyahu. He raises the possibility of forming a minority government if the camp obtains 58 or 59 seats, with the latter seeking to expand its parliamentary support.

Eisenkot does not hide his ambition to achieve a much greater achievement, which would allow the formation of a Zionist government independent of external elements.

Relying on 58 or 59 seats requires careful agreement with the partners, especially with Bennett and Lieberman, who oppose the formation of a government that depends on the support of the Arab parties or their abstention from voting.

Eisenkot himself did not rule out the possibility of obtaining external support from the United Nations. In recent talks and interviews, he seeks to inspire confidence in the possibility of moving forward in stages, but an agreed upon formula has not yet been presented that would allow the plan to be implemented.

Legally, the swearing-in of the government does not require 61 votes in favor, but rather a majority in a vote of confidence.

Abstention from Knesset members may allow the government to take power even without an absolute majority.

In contrast, a constructive vote of no confidence, which aims to replace an existing government, requires the support of 61 members of the Knesset to form an alternative government.

Therefore, the minority government scenario proposed by Eisenkot may be appropriate at the government formation stage, but it does not allow the Change Bloc to remove the current Netanyahu government with a simple majority. The political challenge remains: who will agree to join such a government, who will abstain from voting, and how will the government continue after the constitutional oath is taken?

Avigdor Lieberman completely rules out this possibility. He has made clear that he will not support a minority government, even for a transitional period, and insists on a government based on a Zionist majority.

Also, a national unity government with Netanyahu is unacceptable to him. In his view, if a suitable majority is not reached, holding additional elections is better than forming a government that does not meet the conditions he set.

Lieberman offers another option

Lieberman proposes another option: include Knesset members from the Likud Party in a government without Netanyahu, or form a Zionist majority by changing the structure of the blocs after the elections. He even claimed that there were Likud members ready to take this step.

Lieberman did not disclose their names, and at this stage there are no public negotiations with Likud members about joining this government.

Eisenkot also wants to form a government on the basis of a partial majority, and try to expand it later. Lieberman is not ready to join such a government, and has been demanding a Zionist majority since the beginning of its formation.

Bennett and Lapid: They refuse to depend on the Arabs

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, heads of the “Together” list, demand the formation of a Zionist government, and refuse to rely in its formation on the votes of the Arab parties or their abstention from voting. On the other hand, Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, does not rule out cooperation with Raam. The dispute may escalate between party leaders when they are asked to decide whether to support the formation of a government that does not have a Zionist majority in the Knesset.

This week's meeting between Eisenkot and Lieberman ended with a joint statement on the need to increase participation in the elections.

However, the dispute over the formation of a minority government was not resolved. Internal leadership competition also continues. Eisenkot wants to end the elections as head of the largest party, believing that this achievement will strengthen his position in consultations within the presidential palace.

Bennett sees himself as a natural candidate to lead the change camp given his experience as prime minister, while Lieberman insists on not making any commitment that would allow the formation of a government that conflicts with his positions. Each party leader seeks to consolidate his influence, knowing that the transfer of seats between parties of one camp does not necessarily increase the strength of the bloc as a whole. After the elections, they will also be asked to agree on the identity of the next prime minister, the composition of the coalition, and the conditions for its formation.

The first key after the elections: Amir Ohana's seat

There is broad agreement within the Change Bloc on a step that can be taken even before deciding on the issue of forming the government: replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

The move aims to give the camp opposed to Netanyahu control over the parliament's agenda, even if Netanyahu continues to head a caretaker government.

The election of the Speaker of the Knesset is one of the first steps in the new Knesset, and voting on it is open. To replace Ohana, the Change Bloc will need to form a majority around an agreed-upon candidate, and may also rely on the votes of Knesset members from Arab parties to achieve this. This step does not require prior agreement on the formation of the next government.

The Change Alliance seeks to form a government investigation committee into the events of October 7, make legislative amendments in the field of compulsory conscription, determine the term of the Prime Minister’s term, and cancel some of the amendments introduced by the previous government to the judicial system.

Lieberman also seeks to enact a law preventing criminally accused persons from assuming the position of prime minister. The two parties have not yet reached a binding agreement on all the details of the legislation and the order in which it will be presented.

Party teams held meetings to coordinate the first steps in the new Knesset. The goal is to take advantage of the first weeks after the elections, before coalition formation negotiations deepen the differences between them.

The lesson of the Bennett-Lapid government is also taken into account: the laws promised at its founding were not implemented before its collapse. This time, the Change Alliance wants to move forward quickly, but it is feared that MKs with different views will not support all items of the joint agenda.