Ehud Olmert on Gadi Eisenkot and Ra'am

di Jolyon: Ehud Olmert

If the opposition wants to build a government in Israel, they have to go through an Arab party since Netanyahu's bloc is still far short of the 61 seats needed for a majority. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he doesn't think Netanyahu will be able to form a government at all. Instead, Olmert expects Gadi Eisenkot to be chosen as the leader of the next administration. The plan involves Eisenkot going back on a campaign pledge to bring Mansour Abbas and his Ra'am party into a minority coalition. A deal with Ra'am would likely get enough votes to pass approval from the Knesset. Olmert explains that this agreement is how the government gets presented for voting: "I think that it is likely that he will find a way to make an agreement with a party of Mansour Abbas and present his government to the approval of the Knesset." This leaves Eisenkot with up to 42 days to decide if he values his prior promise more than the position of Prime Minister.