Otzma Yehudit formally recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form Israel’s next government on Thursday, during the second day of consultations with President Isaac Herzog. Channel 12’s Amit Segal reported that the party voted 19–7 to endorse Netanyahu.
The party’s delegation to the President’s Residence included Ministers Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu and MKs Limor Son Har-Melech and Yitzhak Kroizer. Otzma Yehudit, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, won seven seats in the October 27 election.
The endorsement came shortly after United Torah Judaism declined to recommend any candidate, breaking with its longtime alliance with Netanyahu. Both of the party’s factions, Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael, were instructed by their spiritual leaders not to endorse a candidate. The decision reflects chareidi frustration that legislation securing the status of yeshiva students has not yet passed.
Shas, the Religious Zionist Party and Zehut recommended Netanyahu on Wednesday, and Likud is set to do so Thursday evening. Opposition parties have backed Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot.
Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats in the incoming Knesset, compared with 48 for the Jewish opposition parties. The two Arab parties won a combined 19 seats, and the opposition cannot form a majority without them. Herzog will assign the mandate to the candidate he believes has the best chance of forming a government. The 26th Knesset is set to be sworn in on November 10.
