Israeli Politicsupdated 18m ago2 min read
Gadi Eisenkot Charged With Forming Israel’s Coalition to Replace Benjamin Netanyahu
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Gadi Eisenkot, former military chief, given chance to form governing coalition. He must repair U.S.-Israel relationship and navigate Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran issues.
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Eisenkot gets coalition chance
Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief, has been given a chance to form Israel’s new governing coalition and replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the New York Times said he is “by no means assured of success.” The immediate challenge would be “how to undo the vast damage done to Israel’s relationship with the United States,” and Michael Oren said, “For the first time in the history of our relationship with the United States, we have no recourse.” Eisenkot is now officially charged with forming a coalition government and must prioritize resetting Israel’s relations with both US political parties to regain support from the US public.
Israel’s newly elected parliament was sworn in Tuesday, and negotiations to form a government faced significant obstacles while Eisenkot works with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot on Sunday with assembling Israel’s next governing coalition after 67 lawmakers recommended him, compared with 46 who supported Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, Bennett clash
Netanyahu called for a national unity government during Tuesday’s swearing-in of the new Knesset, while he sharply attacked the Arab parties by accusing them of supporting terrorism and warning against forming a government dependent on their votes. Bennett broke his relative silence to confront Netanyahu during the speech, and Bennett shouted, "What about your Qatari advisors?" Eisenkot responded with an unusually forceful condemnation, and Eisenkot said, "I sat and listened to the outgoing prime minister’s delusional, divisive, hate-filled and shameful speech."
The New York Times said President Trump announced this month that he would cut off billions of dollars in annual U.S. military aid to Israel by the end of the year and blamed Israel in part for Republican losses in the midterm elections. Haaretz said repairing ties with Washington, containing Iran, and navigating the wars in Gaza and Lebanon will test the new government, whose room for maneuver remains narrow.
Coalition math and US stakes
Eisenkot’s Yashar party won 21 seats in the Oct. 27 election and Eisenkot worked closely with Bennett’s B'Yachad party, formed with former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, which secured another 12 seats.
The two parties have not merged, but their cooperation gives Eisenkot negotiating backing of 33 lawmakers, more than Netanyahu’s Likud with 27 seats, while the remaining 19 seats went to two Arab-led parties: the Joint List with 11 and Ra'am led by Mansour Abbas with eight.
Herzog acknowledged the challenge during consultations with parliamentary leaders, citing disagreements and mutual political vetoes that could prevent either side from forming a stable government.
The New York Times said Democratic control of Congress could quickly lead to sanctions on violent Israeli settlers and on new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, as well as to new conditions on arms sales.
The New York Times said the relationship damage is tied to “its devastating military campaign in Gaza” and “its role in pressing for war with Iran,” which it linked to soaring gas prices.