Israeli Politicsupdated 23m ago2 min read
Isaac Herzog Tasks Gadi Eisenkot With Forming Israel’s Next Government
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Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming the next Israeli government after elections. Eisenkot is the leader of Yesh Atid and Netanyahu's main rival.
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Herzog backs Eisenkot
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog tasked Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government after the October 27 legislative elections, and Herzog’s office said the president informed Eisenkot of his intention to entrust him with forming the government. Herzog’s consultations produced 67 recommendations for Eisenkot among the 120 Knesset members, while 46 MPs asked Herzog to entrust the outgoing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seven MPs chose not to recommend any candidate. Eisenkot received a mandate with a 28-day deadline to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension by presidential decision, and the process could lead to new elections if no government is formed.
“‘Now is the time to form a national emergency government.”
Eisenkot said he would do everything in his power to form a new government, writing on X: "Now is the time to form a national emergency government." Netanyahu remained prime minister in a caretaker government until a new coalition is formed or until new elections are held, and the Likud party won 27 seats while Netanyahu’s coalition secured 53 seats.
Unity versus Arab support
Benjamin Netanyahu called for a national unity government with coalition parties that had supported him so far, even as his coalition did not have enough deputies in the Knesset after the October 27 elections. Netanyahu warned that a government formed with those who support terrorism would not fight Hamas, and he said "A national unity government will permanently remove the Iranian nuclear threat". 67 lawmakers endorsed Eisenkot, including from Arab-led parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, while only 46 backed Netanyahu, and Eisenkot would have 28 days with a possible 14-day extension to build a coalition of at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.
Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the Joint List, told Al Jazeera that Herzog’s decision was "expected" and said Arab-led parties endorsed Eisenkot for the mandate, granting him a "considerable margin." Netanyahu warned that a government dependent on Islamists would dismantle the state of Israel from within, and Netanyahu described Arab-led parties as supporters of terrorists and terrorism.
Coalition math and next tests
Eisenkot’s coalition-building challenge hinged on the Knesset’s seat math, because Eisenkot’s four-party alliance won 48 seats while Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc secured 53, leaving both short of the 61-seat threshold for a parliamentary majority. Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats, and Eisenkot ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties, which would give him a 67-seat bloc. Eisenkot received backing from parties representing 67 of the 120-member Knesset, while 46 lawmakers from his opponents urged commissioning Netanyahu’s bloc, and Eisenkot would face his first test on Tuesday.
CNN reported that Eisenkot’s task placed Netanyahu one step closer to ousting Israel’s longest-serving leader, even as the path remained complicated. Eisenkot would have to pass a vote of confidence at the Knesset, and Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said the hard work would begin now for Eisenkot to put together a government that could survive the opposition of the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu.