Israeli President Isaac Herzog has chosen former army chief Gadi Eisenkot to try to form the country’s next government, bypassing his rival, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Herzog told Eisenkot of his decision on Saturday evening and will formally hand him the mandate at a ceremony on Sunday, the president’s spokesperson said in a statement.
Herzog’s decision follows a deadlocked October election
The president held consultations with all political parties this week before deciding who would get the chance to build a government. Neither side won a majority in the general election held on October 27.
Also read: Israel's Herzog starts coalition talks after deadlocked election · Israel's Herzog faces key choice on government formation
According to the statement, parties representing 67 lawmakers recommended Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, compared with 46 for Netanyahu’s bloc. In the vote, Eisenkot’s four-party alliance won 48 seats, while Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc took 53, leaving both short of 61. Arab-led parties, which represent Palestinian citizens of Israel, won a record 19 seats.
Coalition deadline and paths to a majority
Eisenkot has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to assemble a coalition holding at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, the minimum needed to govern.
He has ruled out working with the Arab-led parties, which would give him a 67-seat bloc. Securing the two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, would instead give him exactly 61 seats.
The decision came hours after Netanyahu warned that a government formed by opposition parties with Arab-led support would lead to Israel’s collapse.
Eisenkot’s military and war cabinet record
Eisenkot led Israel’s military from 2015 to 2019. He also sat as an observer in Netanyahu’s war cabinet during the first eight months of Israel’s war on Gaza.
