The Joint List, an alliance of Arab-majority parties, on Thursday recommended Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot to form Israel's next government, following the United Arab List's earlier endorsement of Eisenkot.

The alliance, led by Yousef Jabareen, submitted its recommendation to President Isaac Herzog, as consultations with parliamentary factions continue at the President's Residence.

"Intending to oust the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir-Smotrich government, the Joint List unanimously, with all of its components, decided to recommend Eisenkot's candidacy," Jabareen said. He added that the recommendation was made "in the hope that this can lead to an improvement in the situation of all citizens, and particularly that of Arab citizens, whose lives the last government made miserable in almost every way."

The Arab-majority parties' endorsements are expected to bring Eisenkot to 67 recommendations, securing a majority of elected Knesset members. Herzog is therefore expected to task him with forming a government.

Senior sources in the Eisenkot bloc said no negotiations were held with the Joint List, and nothing was offered to them in exchange for a recommendation.

In the Joint List's meeting with the president, Jabareen criticized what he described as "an atmosphere of ongoing incitement against Arab citizens led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

"These are statements that, had you heard them in a European country with the word 'Jew' replacing the word 'Arab,' we would call antisemitism, and rightly so," Jabareen said. "The prime minister's son, residing in Miami, writes that Arab citizens will carry out the next October 7. These are statements that cannot be brushed aside. We expected greater involvement from you as president," he added, referring to a post on X by Yair Netanyahu.

Jabreen also told Herzog he expected him to condemn such racist remarks more strongly. "The truth is, Mr. President, that we expected a higher level of involvement," the party leader said.

"I believe I was very clear," the President replied.

So far, Eisenkot secured the recommendations of Mansour Abbas' United Arab List, Yair Golan's the Democrats and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu. Netanyahu was recommended by Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism, Moshe Feiglin's Zehut and Arye Dery's Shas. Naftali Bennett's Together, which said it will also recommend Eisenkot, will meet with the president later on Thursday, as will the Joint List, Eisenkot's Yashar and Netanyahu's Likud.