Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Saturday that he will task Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition Yashar party, with forming a new government, dealing a major setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Why it matters: Eisenkot will have 28 days to establish a new government. This is the closest Netanyahu has been to losing power since 2021, but deep divisions could still prevent them from forming a government.
Driving the news: Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most seats in the Oct. 27 election, but his coalition lost its majority, winning just 53 of the 120 seats in parliament.
- Eisenkot’s bloc won 48 seats, but the two Arab parties, which won 19 seats, backed his bid to form a government.
- During consultations held earlier this week, 67 members of the Knesset recommended Eisenkot to form the new government, while only 46 recommended Netanyahu.
- United Torah Judaism, an ultra-Orthodox ally of Netanyahu, declined to endorse him and signaled it could join an Eisenkot-led coalition.
On Saturday, Netanyahu called for a unity government headed by him.
- Netanyahu attacked the Arab parties and falsely claimed they want to destroy Israel. He proposed Eisenkot and other Jewish parties in the opposition join his far-right bloc.
- Eisenkot rejected Netanyahu’s appeal as political spin.
Eisenkot said he intends to form an “national emergency government” built around the 48 members of his bloc.
- But he would need support from lawmakers outside his bloc to win a vote of confidence in parliament.
- Eisenkot will have to chose whether he wants this support to come from the ultra-Orthodox parties or the Arab parties, but either path risks alienating members of his bloc.
- Both options could also force Eisenkot and his allies to break campaign promises.
- Eisenkot, a former military chief, has declined to join forces with Arab parties, whose support would give him a majority of seats in parliament. But Arab leaders, incensed by what they view as the racist policies of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, still nominated Eisenkot to try to form a government first — giving him the most endorsements.
“President Herzog has invited Gadi Eisenkot to the President’s Residence, where he will be tasked with forming the government tomorrow,” said the spokesperson of President Isaac Herzog, whose largely ceremonial role involves nominating a candidate to form a coalition after elections.
In a post on X, Eisenkot wrote, “Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything I can to ensure we are worthy.”
Weeks of protracted negotiations are expected to follow Eisenkot’s nomination. He will try to forge a government, with a possible 14-day extension.
His potential pathways to power include trying to form a minority government with Arab party votes on key issues; forming a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties that he and his allies have shunned in the past; or forging a unity government with Netanyahu.
Analysts say that all three options are unlikely to take shape. If Eisenkot fails, another candidate can try to form a government and if that candidate fails, parliament can nominate another. There is a deadline for the process of around 100 days. If no one succeeds, another election is held.
A son of Moroccan immigrants, Eisenkot, 66, would be the country’s first prime minister from Israel’s Mizrahi community, Jews who trace their roots to the Middle East and North Africa.
Reserved and media-shy, Eisenkot only entered politics in 2022. He briefly served in Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel before returning to the opposition.
AXIOS/ Reuters
