Ahmad Tibi says the Joint List feared Herzog would move toward a national unity government
Ahmad TibiSenior Joint List lawmaker; the Joint List recommended Eisenkot
Tibi tells Al Jazeera that Herzog's decision was expected and that the Joint List had worried the president would move toward a national unity government.
“We were concerned that the president would move towards a national unity government”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Herzog tasks Gadi Eisenkot, not Netanyahu, with forming Israel's next government; Netanyahu had called for a national unity government
On November 7, 2026, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced that he would task Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government. Factions totaling 67 members of the incoming 120-seat Knesset, including the two Arab-led lists, had recommended Eisenkot, and factions totaling 46 had recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hours before the announcement, Netanyahu called in a recorded video for a national unity government that would include his bloc and warned against swearing in a government with what he called supporters of terrorism. Eisenkot said it was time to form a national emergency government.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Al Jazeera report on Herzog's decision, with the recommendation totals, the coalition arithmetic, an excerpt of Netanyahu's video address and comments that Joint List lawmaker Ahmad Tibi gave Al Jazeera on November 7.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Tibi, a senior member of the Joint List, which holds 11 seats, told Al Jazeera on November 7 that Herzog's decision was expected.
After the quotation
Tibi said the Arab-led parties' recommendations gave Eisenkot a considerable margin and that he believes Eisenkot is headed for a minority government with outside support from the Arab parties. Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is President Herzog's decision to task Gadi Eisenkot, rather than Benjamin Netanyahu, with forming Israel's next government. Tibi, whose list recommended Eisenkot, calls the decision expected and says his concern had been that the president would steer toward a national unity government, which supports the course Herzog took.
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More from this case
Read the full caseEisenkot says it is time to form a national emergency government
“Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything so that we are worthy. (Translated from Hebrew. Original: זו העת להקמת ממשלת חירום לאומית. אעשה הכל כדי שנהיה ראויים)”Read statement
Netanyahu warns against a government with supporters of terrorism and calls for national unity
“Already this coming week, there are those who intend to hurriedly swear in a government with supporters of terrorism”Read statement
Likud's Yoav Kisch warns Herzog against a government dependent on Arab parties
“We know who cannot do it. A government whose very existence depends on supporters of terrorism who reject the existence of a Jewish state as we know it”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Ahmad Tibi says the Joint List feared Herzog would move toward a national unity government". First published: 2026-11-08. Last updated: 2026-11-08. https://disputeindex.com/events/8388-tibi-tells-al-jazeera-that-herzog-s-decision