The historic move marked the first time in nearly three decades that the Arab parties backed a candidate for prime minster, reflecting their contempt for Netanyahu, who was accused of fomenting hatred of the Arabs during his re-election campaign.
Neither Gantz, the leader of the centrist Blue and White party, nor Netanyahu, head of the conservative Likud movement, has a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, or 61 members. But with the backing of the Arab parties, Gantz gained a slight advantage. He could have as many as 57 backers, compared with Netanyahu's 55.
Although many Israeli Arabs remain angry at Gantz for leading the military's devastating war against Gaza militants in 2014, their fury toward Netanyahu runs much deeper. Netanyahu's campaign repeatedly accused the Arabs of trying to “steal” the election, drawing accusations of racism and incitement.
In an op-ed piece in The New York Times, Ayman Odeh, the leader of the Joint List, argued that his move should end Netanyahu's political career and provide a watershed moment for Israel's Arab minority. The Arab parties' decision does not guarantee Gantz will be prime minister. The president usually appoints the candidate with the most supporters, but not necessarily. Rivlin has wide discretion.The deciding factor looks to be Lieberman, who is demanding a broad unity government with the two major parties that will be secular and exclude the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and Arabs.
Rivlin has not indicated which way he is leading. But he said he interpreted the will of the people as yearning for a “stable” government. “And there can't be a stable government without the two big parties,” the 80-year-old president said.
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