Israel's Eisenkot vows to form broad gov't, use parliamentary majority to advance legislation

JERUSALEM - Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said Saturday he intends to form the broadest possible government, citing what he called a parliamentary majority from Tuesday's election.

Eisenkot's opposition bloc won just 48 seats in the 120-member parliament, compared with 53 seats for the coalition bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, Eisenkot argued in a social media post that a majority of Israeli voters, by a margin of more than half a million votes, had voted against Netanyahu's government. His calculation includes the 19 seats won by the Arab-led parties, namely the Joint List, a coalition of three parties, and the Muslim Ra'am party, all of which are strong Netanyahu opponents.

Eisenkot said he intends to pursue what he called a clear parliamentary majority to advance several key initiatives, including the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct 7 attack, mandatory service for all Israelis, and the repeal of judicial overhaul legislation promoted by Netanyahu's government.

To advance these measures, Eisenkot would not necessarily need to form a government. Instead, he could seek to mobilize a parliamentary majority, including support from Arab parties.

"Let no one mislead: In Israel, it is the parliament that gives its confidence to the government, not the other way around," he wrote.