Herzog gives Eisenkot first chance to form Israeli government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said he will give opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the task of forming a new coalition government. According to the BBC, Herzog made the decision after holding talks with political parties. Neither Eisenkot’s bloc nor the bloc of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won a majority in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, following last week’s election.

Eisenkot now has 28 days to attempt to build an administration, with a possible 14-day extension. The Guardian said the official designation was set for Sunday and would take place at the president’s Jerusalem residence. Eisenkot leads the Yashar party and wrote on X that the country needed a national emergency government.

Read also: Israel’s president opens coalition talks after deadlocked vote

The election result

Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, together with its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies, won 53 seats. Eisenkot’s bloc, which includes his centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties, won 48 seats. Israel has never had a party win an outright majority, so every government has been a coalition.

Two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, together won 19 seats. The BBC said this was an unprecedented result, linked to a surge in turnout among Arab voters. That gives them a possible kingmaker role. However, all but one of the Jewish parties said before the vote that they would not work with them.

Options and precedent

Herzog consulted the parties before making his choice. Following those talks, Eisenkot received 67 recommendations for the premiership and Netanyahu received 46, according to a statement from the president’s office. The president has wide discretion and does not have to pick the leader of the largest party.

Reports describe three broad routes to a government. These are a national unity administration including both leaders, a right-wing coalition with defectors from Eisenkot’s bloc, or an Eisenkot-led government backed by the Arab parties. Eisenkot and most of his bloc have previously refused to govern with Arab parties, although speculation about a deal has continued. A deal with ultra-Orthodox parties is also possible but considered difficult.

Why it matters

The Guardian noted that Eisenkot would become prime minister in place of Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, if he forms a coalition. Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in the 27 October election but remained the largest bloc. Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, has pledged to unite Israelis and to act against violent settlers in the West Bank. He also opposes a Palestinian state.

A unity government has precedent. In 2020, after three deadlocked elections, Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz agreed a power-sharing deal that rotated the leadership. Herzog has urged politicians to accept that not every promise can be kept in the current situation, in order to avoid another vote. Between 2019 and 2022, Israel held five elections as rivals struggled to cooperate.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• BBC News: Israel's president tasks opposition leader Eisenkot with forming government
• The Guardian: Israel’s president picks Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to form government

This article was written with the help of AI from reports by the outlets listed above. See our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.