Israel's president taps Eisenkot to form government, in setback for Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday night that he is giving opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief, the first opportunity to form a coalition government following the October 27 elections, in a major setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Associated Press reported.

Neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu won a clear majority in the vote. But in consultations held this week at the President's Residence, representatives of most parties recommended Eisenkot: 67 of the Knesset's 120 members backed him, against 46 who supported Netanyahu, while seven recommended neither, according to Herzog's office.

Netanyahu's Likud was the most voted-for party, with 27 seats, but his religious-nationalist bloc won only 53, short of the 61 needed to govern. The four-party opposition alliance led by Eisenkot won 48 seats, and the two Arab-led parties, which won a record 19 seats, also recommended Eisenkot, although he has ruled out including them in his coalition.

Herzog will formally hand the mandate to Eisenkot on Sunday, at a ceremony at the President's Residence in Jerusalem. From there, the former general will have 28 days, extendable by 14 more, to negotiate a government; if he fails, the task would pass to Netanyahu, who remains caretaker prime minister.

Eisenkot, 66, is pushing for what he calls a “national emergency government” and seeks to swear in a minority government with the four Jewish opposition parties as soon as possible. The announcement came shortly after Netanyahu posted a video calling for a “national unity government” and warning against “hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters,” in an apparent reference to the Arab-led parties.

If the change goes through, Israel's longest-serving prime minister would fall from power, in the first elections held since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza that followed.

Photo: Reuters

Source: Associated Press