By Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Israel’s parliament was sworn in on Tuesday without a new government, after a deadlocked general election stripped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his parliamentary majority but left his main rivals with no clear path to power.
Lawmakers elected in the October 27 vote took their oaths of office as Gadi Eisenkot, a former general, sought to forge a coalition after Israel’s president tasked him on Sunday with forming a government.
Eisenkot and his allies also lack a majority and he has yet to strike deals with parties that could bring him to power. The stalemate has raised the risk that the new parliament’s term could be extremely short if Eisenkot and Netanyahu both fail to form coalitions, another round of elections could follow.
Presiding over the swearing-in ceremony, President Isaac Herzog told lawmakers: “You must do everything to avoid a repeat election.”
“Reach out a hand for compromise, even between rivals… Look upon one another with generosity. There is much work to be done here, and it requires the ability and experience found in every part of this House.”
PARLIAMENT COULD TRY TO SET UP OCTOBER 7 INQUIRY
Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister until a new candidate manages to form a coalition. His right-wing Likud party’s alliance with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties outperformed election expectations but still lost its majority, now holding 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.
Eisenkot’s centre-right Yashar party and patchwork partner factions hold just 48 seats. But they have potential allies in Israel’s Arab-led parties, which hold 19 seats and are aligned with Eisenkot in their vehement opposition to Netanyahu.
This means that the newly sworn-in parliament could still deliver on some of Eisenkot’s campaign promises, such as potentially setting up a commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, something backed by the Arab parties but largely opposed by Netanyahu.
It also could allow Eisenkot to replace the current Knesset speaker, a Likud member.
Herzog told Knesset members that parliament was “duty bound to leave no stone unturned” in investigating and understanding the “catastrophe” of October 7, while Israel continues to face threats from Iran and its proxies.
Eisenkot initially has until December 6 to form a government but he can seek a two-week extension to December 20. He has acknowledged his path to power is “extraordinarily complex”.
His potential pathways include trying to form a minority government with Arab party support; forming a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties that he and his allies have shunned in the past; or forging a unity government with Netanyahu. All three options face formidable obstacles.
Ultra-Orthodox parties have so far said they would not join an Eisenkot-led government.
For his part, Netanyahu has cast doubt on the election results by baselessly alleging voter fraud by Arabs, who make up a fifth of the population. Election officials have said they are probing potential misconduct, but that they have seen no evidence of fraud that could have influenced the vote’s outcome.
If Eisenkot fails to form a government, Herzog would likely pick Netanyahu to try to form a coalition next. If Netanyahu fails, another candidate can try, and if that person also fails, a new round of elections would be called.
Among those being sworn in on Tuesday was Elisha Madan, a military reservist who lost both legs fighting in Gaza, and who received an ovation from the plenum when he stood up on his prosthetic legs.
(Reporting by Steven Scheer; editing by Rami Ayyub, Alexandra Hudson)
