Gadi Eisenkot emerged Thursday as the favorite to be tasked with forming an Israeli government after a religious party long aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to recommend him.
President Isaac Herzog held a second day of consultations with political parties after the Oct. 27 election, in which neither Netanyahu, a polarizing right-winger who has led Israel through years of conflict, nor Eisenkot, a former military chief promising to restore national unity, secured enough votes for a majority.
Herzog will choose whom to ask to form a new government, but the mandate traditionally goes to the person recommended by more parties, who would be Eisenkot.
The opposition leader also received a recommendation from a key lawmaker from the Arab-Israeli minority, whose parliamentary seats soared due to outrage over Netanyahu's policies, even though Eisenkot has remained unclear on whether he would accept Arab support to form a government.
United Torah Judaism, which backed Netanyahu in the previous five elections, declined in its meeting with Herzog to again recommend Netanyahu as prime minister, nor did it side with Eisenkot.
The party informed Herzog that it decided "not to recommend any Knesset member to form a government," the president's office said in a statement, referring to the 120-member parliament, where United Torah Judaism won seven seats.
United Torah Judaism, which represents ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi Jews with European roots, and Shas, which represents ultra-Orthodox Sephardic Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent, have both been backed by Netanyahu as they push to maintain military service exemptions for religious students.
Netanyahu has preserved the exemption but stopped short of enshrining it in law, amid major resentment from many other Israelis as reservists serve multiple tours due to Gaza genocide and war on Lebanon and Iran.
"In whatever government is formed next, our immediate priority is resolving the status of Torah students," United Torah Judaism lawmaker Isaac Pindrus said.
Eisenkot, who has tried to appeal to secular Israelis from left to right, has been adamant about ending military service exemptions.
Some of his opposition allies have criticized the ultra-Orthodox, who make up about 14% of the population but have far higher birthrates than secular Israelis, calling them a drain on the state.
Observers say United Torah Judaism's tactic is likely aimed primarily at punishing Netanyahu and showing that their votes cannot be taken for granted, though they would still serve in a government if he were to form one.
Once Herzog gives a lawmaker his mandate, the person, presumably either Eisenkot or Netanyahu, has 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension. If the lawmaker fails, Herzog then tasks someone else.
Netanyahu's bloc, including United Torah Judaism, holds 53 seats in the new parliament, compared with 48 for Eisenkot's bloc.
Mansour Abbas, a key Arab-Israeli lawmaker whose Raam list in the latest election for the first time also tapped a Jewish candidate, also told Herzog it recommended Eisenkot.
Arab-majority lists jumped to 19 seats, fueled by anger over Netanyahu's hard-right government whose ministers have vowed to treat Arab-Israeli citizens much like Palestinians in war-torn Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Eisenkot could form a government with the support of Arab parties but would risk losing support from some in the opposition, notably Avigdor Liberman, a former Netanyahu aide who became an outspoken critic but nonetheless shares the outgoing government's hawkish views on the Palestinians.
Netanyahu has relentlessly attacked the opposition over the prospect of an alliance with Arab lawmakers.
In a video filmed Wednesday in the prime minister's office, Netanyahu alleged "serious suspicions" that foreign powers put money into the election and questioned the loyalty of Arab citizens.
His latest comments came despite the Israeli election commission's announcement that it found no fraud in last week’s vote.