Herzog Hands Eisenkot First Shot at Forming Israel’s Next Government
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday night tasked opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government, a turning point in the political aftermath of the October 27 elections, mirror.co.uk reported.
The decision hands Eisenkot — a retired Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and leader of the ‘Yashar’ party — the first opportunity to build a governing coalition. One step, and the former military chief is closer to ousting Israel’s longest-serving premier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This is the time to establish a national emergency government. I will do anything possible to prove us worthy,” Eisenkot posted on his X account immediately after the announcement.
Six Weeks to Find a Majority in a Divided Country
The clock is running. Eisenkot has six weeks to assemble a parliamentary majority — in a country still reeling from the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and three years of subsequent wars in Gaza and beyond.
According to mirror.co.uk, representatives from most of Israel’s main parties recommended Eisenkot when they met the president this week. But neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor Eisenkot’s secured a clear majority in the vote. That leaves the Arab-led parties — which made historic gains — as potential kingmakers.
Netanyahu Fights an Alliance With Arab Parties
That is where the politics gets hard. An Arab party has sat in an Israeli governing coalition just once in the country’s history, and such a partnership would be especially contentious after more than three years of war in Gaza.
Netanyahu has campaigned hard to prevent it, making unsubstantiated claims that the Arab-led parties “stole” the elections. In a video statement issued shortly before Herzog’s announcement, he called for a “national unity government” and warned against “hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters” — language he consistently uses for the Arab-led parties.
Likud remains the single largest party in parliament. Yet Eisenkot has indicated a conditional willingness to partner with Arab parties, including on a shared position that Hamas is a terrorist group that must be destroyed.
Unity Government, or a Minority Experiment?
Broad options are on the table. Eisenkot and Netanyahu could attempt a wide unity government incorporating major Jewish parties. The barriers are deep: Netanyahu relies on religious parties that demand draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, and he opposes a formal investigation into the security failures surrounding the October 7 attacks.
Another path is a “minority” government, supported externally by Arab parties outside the formal coalition. Some of Eisenkot’s own bloc members, however, have said they would reject such an arrangement.
Yashar’s Answer to Netanyahu: Judge Us by Principles
Eisenkot’s party, Yashar, countered Netanyahu’s video with a statement on X, urging Likud members to disavow their alliance with “radical parties” — an apparent reference to the far-right factions within the prime minister’s religious-nationalist base.
The statement drew a line for the negotiations ahead: Eisenkot will include only parties and parliament members who adhere to his party’s principles. The first test of who clears that bar comes when coalition-building talks begin under the six-week deadline set in motion Saturday night.
