Isaac Herzog Taps Gadi Eisenkot To Form Israel’s Next Government, Passing Netanyahu

Herzog backs Eisenkot

Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked former army chief Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country’s next government, passing over rival Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Oct. 27 general election left both sides short of a parliamentary majority.

Herzog communicated the decision to Eisenkot on Saturday evening and planned to formally hand him the mandate at a ceremony on Sunday, after consultations with all political parties this week.

The president’s spokesperson said parties representing 67 lawmakers recommended Eisenkot, while parties representing 46 lawmakers recommended Netanyahu, and Eisenkot would have 28 days with a possible 14-day extension to build a coalition holding at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.

The election results left Eisenkot’s four-party alliance with 48 seats and Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc with 53, while Arab-led parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel won a record 19 seats.

Netanyahu warned that a government formed by opposition parties with the support of Arab-led parties would lead to Israel’s collapse, and Eisenkot ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties, which would give him a 67-seat bloc.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraAP News

Coalition math and vetoes

AP reported that Herzog gave Eisenkot the first opportunity after discussions in which representatives from most of Israel’s main parties recommended Eisenkot, while the task of assembling the parliamentary majority remained “fraught.” Netanyahu and his allies lost their majority in parliament in last month’s elections, and AP said the bloc led by Eisenkot also did not win a majority, leaving Arab-led parties as politically fraught kingmakers. Netanyahu called for a “national unity government” and warned against “hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters,” language he uses to refer to the Arab-led parties, while Eisenkot indicated willingness to partner with them under certain conditions.

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot’s party slammed Netanyahu’s video statement on X and urged members of his party, Likud, to disavow their alliance with “radical parties,” in an apparent reference to far-right parties in his religious-nationalist base. The Indian Express said Herzog cautioned that Eisenkot’s lead in recommendations does not automatically mean he will be given the mandate, because “mutual vetoes” between the two political blocs and within their respective camps left the outcome uncertain.

Reporting for this sectionAP NewsThe Indian Express

What comes next

The Guardian said Herzog’s office informed Eisenkot “of his intention to task him with forming a government,” and it said the formal appointment would take place in an official ceremony on Sunday at the president’s residence in Jerusalem.

The Guardian reported that Eisenkot’s wide-ranging opposition bloc won 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats in October elections, while Netanyahu’s camp secured 53, leaving both short of the 61-seat minimum needed for a parliamentary majority.

The New York Times said Eisenkot has up to six weeks to build a coalition before the president passes the opportunity to another candidate, most likely Netanyahu, and it said the election on Oct. 27 left all sides short of an outright 61-seat majority.

The New York Times reported that Eisenkot could join forces with the two Arab-led parties, but it said some right-wing Jewish parties in his bloc have said they would not enter a government that relied on their support.

The Times of Israel said the Joint List’s unanimous decision to back Eisenkot came “in response to the public demand to prevent Netanyahu and his government from returning to power,” while it also said the parties backing him may not ultimately join his coalition.

Reporting for this sectionThe GuardianThe New York Times