President Isaac Herzog has given opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a governing coalition after the Oct. 27 election, a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Saturday night that he was giving opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a governing coalition following elections on Oct. 27. The move is a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who remains in office as caretaker prime minister.
Eisenkot, a former military chief and leader of the Yashar party, ran as the main challenger to Netanyahu. He has up to six weeks to form a coalition. In his first reaction, Eisenkot posted on X: "This is the time to establish a national emergency government. I will do anything possible to prove us worthy."
Representatives from most of Israel's main parties recommended Eisenkot be tasked with assembling a new government in marathon discussions with the president this week. Neither Eisenkot's bloc nor Netanyahu's bloc won a clear majority in the vote.
Netanyahu's bloc won 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, while the four parties in the main bloc opposing Netanyahu won 48 seats. Israel's Arab-majority parties won an unprecedented 19 seats, their highest turnout ever in Tuesday's election.
Because neither bloc won a clear majority, support from Arab-led parties would be needed to form a coalition. The heads of the two largest Arab parties said they would be willing to help Eisenkot's opposition bloc oust Netanyahu.
Netanyahu called for a "national unity government" in a video statement shortly before Herzog's announcement and warned against "hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters," language he uses to refer to the Arab-led parties. Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly portrayed the Arab-led parties as a threat to national security.
Eisenkot has indicated a willingness to partner with Arab-led parties under certain conditions, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that needs to be destroyed. His party, Yashar, slammed Netanyahu's video and urged members of Likud to disavow their alliance with "radical parties."
If Eisenkot cannot form a coalition within six weeks, Israel would have to hold the election again, and Netanyahu would remain prime minister in the interim. Once the new Knesset is sworn in, Eisenkot's bloc along with the Arab parties could control a majority in parliament and begin passing laws even without a new government decided on.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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