President Isaac Herzog’s decision gives former military chief Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to assemble a government after Israel’s October elections produced no parliamentary majority, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future dependent on coalition negotiations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
JERUSALEM — Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Saturday, Nov. 7, that opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot will receive the first opportunity to form Israel’s next government, placing the former military chief in position to potentially replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following an inconclusive parliamentary election.
Herzog’s office said Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, would formally receive the mandate at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m. local time. The decision followed consultations with political parties elected to the 120-member Knesset in the Oct. 27 general election.
According to The Washington Post’s report on the announcement, parties representing 67 lawmakers recommended Eisenkot for prime minister, compared with 46 who backed Netanyahu. The remaining seven lawmakers, representing the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, declined to endorse either candidate.
Eisenkot will have 28 days to negotiate a governing coalition, with the possibility of a 14-day extension. Despite securing recommendations from a majority of lawmakers, he does not yet command a parliamentary coalition capable of governing.
The election produced a divided Knesset, with Eisenkot’s Yashar party winning 21 seats and the broader opposition bloc securing 48. Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist alliance won 53 seats, leaving both major blocs short of the 61 required for a majority.
The remaining 19 seats belong to two Arab-led parties, the Joint List, which won 11 seats, and Ra’am, which secured eight. Both recommended Eisenkot during consultations with Herzog, providing the opposition leader with the numerical advantage that influenced the president’s decision.
However, those recommendations do not constitute agreements to participate in a governing coalition. Eisenkot faces significant negotiations over whether the Arab parties would join his government or provide parliamentary support from outside it.
Avigdor Liberman, whose Yisrael Beytenu party belongs to Eisenkot’s opposition bloc, has strongly opposed forming a government dependent on Arab political parties. Eisenkot has also previously expressed reservations about such an arrangement, complicating efforts to transform his 67 recommendations into a stable parliamentary majority.
Another possible arrangement could involve ultra-Orthodox parties traditionally aligned with Netanyahu. United Torah Judaism’s refusal to recommend the incumbent prime minister reflected tensions over legislation governing military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.
As The Times of Israel reported during the presidential consultations, the ultra-Orthodox faction withheld its endorsement after Netanyahu’s outgoing coalition failed to enact legislation providing the military exemptions sought by its constituents.
Eisenkot has maintained that parties joining his government must accept certain principles, including broader military service obligations and policies aimed at ending Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip.
Those conditions could complicate negotiations with religious parties seeking exemptions from military conscription and Arab parties whose political positions differ from those of Eisenkot’s centrist allies.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has called for a national unity government while criticizing the possibility of an opposition coalition supported by Arab parties.
The prime minister has warned against including political factions he describes as supporters of terrorism, a characterization directed at Arab-led parties. Eisenkot’s Yashar party has rejected Netanyahu’s criticism and said prospective coalition partners must recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The leadership contest follows an election that left Netanyahu without a clear path to another governing majority. Although his Likud party and religious-nationalist allies collectively secured more seats than Eisenkot’s core opposition bloc, their combined 53 seats were insufficient to retain parliamentary control.
Herzog’s decision reflects Israel’s parliamentary system, under which the president assigns the task of forming a government to the lawmaker considered capable of assembling majority support. The mandate does not automatically go to the leader of the largest party or the political bloc winning the most seats.
The president had previously urged party leaders to avoid another election, emphasizing the need for flexibility following the divided results.
According to The Times of Israel’s account of his Oct. 28 remarks, Herzog said, “We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections. So I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind.”
Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, emerged as Netanyahu’s principal challenger after establishing Yashar as a centrist political alternative. His campaign emphasized national security, government accountability and changes to military service requirements.
If Eisenkot cannot assemble a coalition within the permitted period, Herzog could give Netanyahu an opportunity to form a government. Under that scenario, Netanyahu would receive 28 days to negotiate parliamentary support.
If subsequent negotiations also fail, lawmakers could attempt to recommend another candidate. Without a successful coalition agreement, Israel could face another general election.
The newly elected Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in Nov. 10, regardless of whether coalition negotiations have produced a government.
Netanyahu will continue serving as caretaker prime minister while the political negotiations proceed. Eisenkot’s selection to receive the first mandate does not itself remove Netanyahu from office or establish a new administration.
The coming negotiations will determine whether Eisenkot can bridge the differences among the parties backing his candidacy and secure the parliamentary majority needed to form Israel’s next government.
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