Netanyahu rivals strike first deal as Israel prepares to swear in parliament

Israel's new parliament is being sworn in on Tuesday with opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing an initial deal on appointments as they try to form a coalition.

Gadi Eisenkot, the former army general invited to form a government after last month's election, said opposition leaders had agreed nominations for four major roles in the new Knesset.

A full coalition agreement will be a tougher challenge for Mr Eisenkot's bloc, which lacks a majority in the 120-member parliament. It will either need support from Arab parties, which would be contentious in Israel, or from defectors from Mr Netanyahu's camp.

One of the nominees for a Knesset role is Avigdor Lieberman, a former defence minister and leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party whose support would be crucial to an Eisenkot government. Mr Lieberman has made clear his unwillingness to work with the Arab parties.

The opposition deal announced on Monday would put Mr Lieberman in charge of the Knesset's foreign affairs and defence committee. Liran Avisar Ben-Horin, a member of former prime minister Naftali Bennett's party, is lined up to chair a finance committee.

Matan Kahana, a member of Mr Eisenkot's Yashar party, is the opposition's choice for Knesset speaker. Another party colleague, Roy Folkman, is nominated to chair a procedure committee.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally invited Mr Eisenkot to form a government on Sunday after the results of the October 27 election were confirmed. Mr Eisenkot was given 28 days to gather a majority, which could be extended to 42 days. If he fails, Mr Netanyahu could be given a shot at staying in power.

Show caption: Former army general Gadi Eisenkot, left, was given the first…

Mr Eisenkot, a former head of the Israeli military, founded his Yashar party last year and leapfrogged other opposition candidates to become Mr Netanyahu's main challenger.

Partly due to Yashar's success, 47 of the 120 MPs are new to the Knesset. The changing of the guard also reflects a record result for the Joint List and Ra'am blocs representing Israel's Arab minority.

Mr Eisenkot has yet to reveal how he intends to get to the 61 seats needed for a majority, instead calling for compromises and saying it was urgent to replace the Netanyahu government.

All his prospective coalition partners have backed him for the premiership but doubts remain over whether they can work together. Mr Lieberman said as recently as Sunday that he would “not lend a hand” to a government with Arab support, but has suggested the Eisenkot camp could peel off some of Mr Netanyahu's supporters.

Show caption: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in office as caret…

One option would be to win over ultra-Orthodox Jewish politicians who previously worked with Mr Netanyahu. One of the Knesset's two ultra-Orthodox parties declined to back Mr Netanyahu for another term. However, any deal with the opposition would be likely to set up a bitter dispute over the religious minority and military service.

Few expect major changes in Israeli foreign policy, as most opposition candidates favour a hard line on Iran and oppose Palestinian statehood. Still, Mr Eisenkot has called for repairing Israel's standing in the world and investigating security failures under Mr Netanyahu's leadership. One of his sons was killed during the Gaza war.

Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly alleged since election day that the vote was “stolen” by Israeli Arabs. While investigations into alleged misconduct are continuing, Israeli officials have said that none of it would have been enough to alter the result.