Netanyahu Faces Setback as Israel’s President Chooses Eisenkot to Form Government

GOOBJOOG NEWS | JERUSALEM: Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a new government, dealing a setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following an inconclusive parliamentary election.

Herzog announced his decision on Saturday after consultations with political parties elected in the October 27 vote, in which neither Netanyahu’s governing bloc nor the opposition secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Eisenkot, a former military chief and leader of the Yashar party, received recommendations from political factions representing 67 lawmakers, compared with 46 who backed Netanyahu. Seven lawmakers did not recommend either candidate.

Eisenkot is expected to receive the formal mandate on Sunday. He will have 28 days to assemble a governing coalition, with the possibility of a 14-day extension.

His task is complicated by the election results. Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53 seats, while the four-party alliance led by Eisenkot won 48. Arab-led parties secured 19 seats, making their support potentially important in efforts to form a parliamentary majority.

However, cooperation with the Arab-led parties remains politically sensitive, with divisions within the opposition over whether to include them in a governing arrangement or rely on their support from outside a coalition.

Hours before Herzog’s announcement, Netanyahu called for a national unity government and warned against forming an administration dependent on what he described as supporters of terrorism, an apparent reference to Arab-led parties that backed Eisenkot.

Eisenkot’s Yashar party rejected Netanyahu’s remarks, urging members of his Likud party to reconsider their alliance with more hardline political groups. It said any government it joined would have to adhere to its stated principles, including recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

Eisenkot, who served as Israel’s military chief from 2015 to 2019, now faces difficult negotiations to secure enough parliamentary support to replace Netanyahu, who has dominated Israeli politics for years.

If he fails to form a government within the allotted period, Herzog may give another candidate an opportunity to do so. Failure to establish a government through the available constitutional process could lead to another election.

Additional reporting by agencies.