Eisenkot tasked with building Israel's next government
President Herzog selected the former army chief over Netanyahu after days of consultations, setting a 28-day deadline for coalition talks.
By Lorenzo Patterson ·
Israel’s president designated Gadi Eisenkot as the candidate to form the next government late Saturday, a move that challenges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power following the Oct. 27 election. Eisenkot, who leads the opposition bloc, now holds the mandate to assemble a coalition before Netanyahu can attempt to do so.
The political situation shifted after the recent vote, where no single leader secured a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu’s coalition dropped from a previous high of 68 seats to 53. The opposition bloc led by Eisenkot won 48 seats, while Arab-led parties secured the remaining 19. President Isaac Herzog concluded his consultations with these parties last week and determined that Eisenkot possessed the best probability of constructing a stable majority.
Eisenkot faces a complex set of options to reach the required 61 seats. He may pursue a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu, seek support from Arab-led parties, or negotiate with ultra-Orthodox groups. Each path presents distinct obstacles. An alliance with Arab parties is difficult because several members of Eisenkot’s own bloc oppose such cooperation. A deal with ultra-Orthodox parties requires them to accept mandatory military service, a condition that conflicts with their long-standing exemptions from the draft.
The Arab-led parties won 19 seats in the highest turnout in their history. The Joint List, one of these parties, announced it will support Eisenkot from outside the coalition to break Netanyahu’s grip on power. Ra’am, the other major Arab party, said it will support Eisenkot from within. Eisenkot has set conditions for these parties, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization. The conservative Yisrael Beytenu party, a partner in Eisenkot’s bloc, has stated it will not join a coalition that includes Arab-led parties.
Netanyahu has contested the election results, claiming the vote was stolen by Arab parties. He has offered limited evidence for these claims. The Central Elections Commission and President Herzog declared the vote valid, noting that any wrongdoing found in the ongoing Shin Bet investigation would not have significantly altered the outcome. Netanyahu called for a national unity government with Eisenkot on Saturday night, though such coalitions are often fragile.
Eisenkot officially receives his mandate during a ceremony on Sunday. He has 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a two-week extension granted by the president. If he fails, Netanyahu will receive a similar chance. If both leaders fail to form a government, Israel will return to elections in early spring.
New members of the Knesset will be sworn in on Tuesday evening. Netanyahu and his cabinet will remain in office with limited powers until a new coalition is formed. Eisenkot has vowed to form a government as quickly as possible, though he will likely need to make compromises on key policy issues.
The former army chief campaigned on ending draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox. His partners in the opposition bloc share this goal, making any negotiation with religious parties a test of their campaign promises. The ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism has left the door open to cooperation, anticipating its role as a swing vote in the upcoming negotiations.
