Eisenkot can deny – but the numbers lead him straight to Ra'am

Commentator Mati Tuchfeld argues that despite Gadi Eisenkot's denials, the coalition arithmetic inevitably leads him to cooperate with Ra'am. The left-center bloc cannot form a government without the support of the Arab parties, and any Gantz-Lapid-Eisenkot government will depend on Mansour Abbas. The article warns that voting for Eisenkot is effectively voting for a government reliant on Ra'am.

Political commentator Mati Tuchfeld argues in an opinion piece that Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, cannot escape political reality: the left-center bloc, which includes Yesh Atid, the National Unity Party, and Yashar, has no ability to form a government without the support of the Arab parties – Ra'am, Hadash-Ta'al, and Balad. Tuchfeld states that this is simple Knesset arithmetic, not interpretation. He refers to reports that Eisenkot committed to Bedouin local council heads to include Ra'am in the next government, and argues that whether or not the commitment was made, the result is the same. The article warns that a left-center government would be completely dependent on Mansour Abbas, and cites the Bennett-Lapid government as an example of the price involved: a freeze on enforcement of illegal construction, massive budgets without oversight, and political extortion. Tuchfeld concludes that the real debate is not about Eisenkot's commitment, but about whether the Israeli voter understands that voting for Eisenkot is voting for a government reliant on Ra'am.