Israeli President Isaac Herzog has invited former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to form the country’s next government, dealing a political setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while opening a difficult round of coalition negotiations following the October 27 parliamentary elections.
Eisenkot gets mandate
Herzog announced his decision Saturday, November 7, after consultations in which 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members recommended Eisenkot, compared with 46 who supported Netanyahu. The remaining seven lawmakers, representing the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, declined to endorse either candidate.
According to the president’s office, Eisenkot was invited to formally receive the mandate Sunday, November 8. He will have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension.
Arab parties hold balance of power in divided parliament
Despite receiving recommendations from a parliamentary majority, Eisenkot faces considerable obstacles to assembling a governing coalition.
Netanyahu’s outgoing alliance controls 53 seats, while the four Jewish-led parties supporting Eisenkot hold 48. Two Arab-led political groups, the Joint List and Ra’am, control the remaining 19 seats. Both Arab parties endorsed Eisenkot for prime minister, but their support does not automatically translate into coalition membership.
Several of Eisenkot’s potential partners oppose relying on Arab parties, particularly on national security issues. The Joint List has indicated willingness to support a government replacing Netanyahu without necessarily joining it, while Ra’am has expressed greater openness to participating in a coalition.
Another possibility involves cooperation with ultra-Orthodox parties. Avigdor Liberman, whose Yisrael Beytenu party has traditionally opposed religious exemptions from military service, has reportedly shown greater flexibility toward working with United Torah Judaism.
Netanyahu proposes national unity government
Netanyahu responded to the changing parliamentary balance by calling for a broad national unity government involving Likud, its existing allies and Jewish-led opposition parties.
According to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu argued that cooperation was necessary to address security threats involving Iran, Hamas and Israel’s military operations in the region.
Eisenkot’s Yashar party rejected a coalition led by Netanyahu but left open the possibility of cooperation with Likud under Eisenkot’s leadership and without Netanyahu’s far-right allies.
The former military chief has also demanded commitments to democratic principles, national service and measures against Hamas, conditions that complicate negotiations with both religious and Arab-led parties. If coalition talks fail, Herzog could give another lawmaker an opportunity to form a government, potentially prolonging the political uncertainty.
Until a new government is sworn in, Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister. His outgoing coalition’s loss of its majority does not automatically remove him from office. The coming negotiations will determine whether Eisenkot can establish a coalition, whether rival parties reach a unity agreement or whether Israel faces another election.
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