So where do we stand in #Israel, more than 2 weeks after the generals elections? Generally the new parliament - #Knesset - was sworn in and started to work. The existing government now uses every trick it can to delay forming a new government or even delay the work of the Parliament. Furthermore, #AvigdorLiberman through a wrench into the negotiations for forming a new government.

In the 27.10.26 #IsraeliElections, turn out was high, in all sectors. There are 11 parties in the newly-elected parliament, of 120 seats. They are:

Pro-Netanyahu block - a total of 53/120. Mainly #Likkud (#Netanyahu): 27, and also the smaller #OtzmaYehudit (Ben Gvir) - 7 and #HatzionutHadatit (smotrich) - 6, and the two ultra orthodox parties: #UnitedToraJudaism - 7 and #Shas - 6.

Anti-Netanyahu block - a total of 67/120. But of those 19/120 are the two "Arab" parties (#JointList: 11 and #Raam: 8), whereas the rest 48/120 are the main "Eisencot-bloc": #Yashar (#Eisencot) - 21, #Together (Bennet) - 12, #TheDemocracts (Golan) - 8 and #YisraelBeitenu (Liberman) - 7.

At this point there was an obvious coalition: all the anti-Netanyahu block. It's a solid majority. The problem is that too many in the Eisencot bloc (explicitly not the Democracts, specifically yes Liberman, the other two: not clear) promised that they would form a coalition without "the Arabs". Even though polls before the elections showed that this would be impossible.

It is also not clear how much the Joint List really wants to be in the government. They are inherently an opposition party. It's not clear how much they are willing to change. But this is a side issue. Ra'am is very much willing to be in the government and has already gone through various hoops to do that.

Politics, as we know, is the art of possible. Suddenly Liberman has come up with a great idea: in order to avoid including "the Arabs", let's try to enlist the ultra orthodox instead. This also leaves his party in a more comfortable position in the new coalition: potentially even as an axis of it, rather than somewhere at the edge of the right wing. And potentially even (as some people claim) in a position to somehow become prime minister.

Including even one of the ultra orthodox parties (United Tora Judaism is a more likely candidate) is still very complicated and will make it very problematic for the newly-formed government to seriously tackle major issues with the ultra orthodox population in Israel.

So what happened after the elections?

The next thing that needed to happen (except getting official results. Likkud and some other opposition parties tried to falsely blame others for stealing the elections. Failed. But that's for a different post) is for various parties to recommend to the president who would form the government. Eventually all the anti-Netanyahu bloc (67/120) supported Eisencot. Netanyahu was supported only by 46 of its block, and United Tora Judaism decided to not recommend anybody.

That means that as of this Sunday (Nov-8th) the clock is ticking for Eisencot to form a government.

The Knesset was sworn in on Tuesday (Nov 10th). However the chair is still the old one from the previous seat - #AmirOhana. Ohana used maximal delay tactics to avoid replacing Knesset Chair until next Wednesday. Some temporary committees have already started to work.

A number of proposed laws in them were signed generally by members of all 6 anti-Netanyahu bloc. In the single (and very procedural) vote, again it was basically divided by the original anti-Netanyahu vs. the pro-Netanyahu blocs. Thus so far the work in progress coalition is that of the 67 members, and not with any ultra orthodox. We'll have to see if this forms into an actual coalition.

#ilpol