Arab parties back Eisenkot as Israel's coalition talks begin

Seats needed for a majority

61 seats of 120

No bloc won a majority in the Oct 27 election: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition took 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc took 48.

Arab parties' 19 seats

11 Joint List 8 Ra'am

Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats after Arab voters doubled their turnout to about 80 per cent: 11 for the Joint List and eight for Ra'am.

Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen said his party would not join an Eisenkot government but would vote with it, which would allow a minority government with fewer than 61 seats.

Netanyahu called for a broad coalition under his leadership that excludes the Arab parties, and has claimed without proof that they committed electoral fraud.

Israel

President Isaac Herzog meets the parties from Wednesday and has until Nov 11 to name a candidate, who then has 28 days, extendable by 14, to form a government.