Eisenkot Gets First Shot at Forming Israel Government After Election
Israel's President Isaac Herzog has asked former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to try to form a coalition. He has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, and faces tough arithmetic in the 120-seat Knesset, where neither bloc won a majority.
Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot is trying to form a new coalition government after President Isaac Herzog gave him the first chance to do so following Israel's election. He has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.
Neither Eisenkot's bloc nor that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel's parliament. The result could end Netanyahu's time in power, but only if Eisenkot can hold together a fractious group of parties.
"Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy," Eisenkot wrote on X.
Why Eisenkot got the first shot
Herzog consulted every party that won seats. Eisenkot received 67 recommendations for the premiership and Netanyahu 46, according to a statement from the president's office. The president can pick whoever he believes has the best chance of building a coalition.
All the anti-Netanyahu parties backed Eisenkot, including the two Arab-led alliances. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, with seven seats, backed neither man.
Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies won 53 seats. Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties won 48. The United Arab List and the Joint List together won an unprecedented 19 seats after a surge in Arab turnout.
The options on the table
The endorsements do not guarantee Eisenkot a government. Israeli media speculate he could try a minority government of the Jewish opposition parties, with 48 seats. That would work only if the Arab parties agreed not to block key legislation such as the budget.
Avigdor Liberman, leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, wants a majority government instead. He is reportedly trying to draw the ultra-Orthodox parties UTJ and Shas into the "change" camp.
A coalition of all the Jewish opposition parties plus the two ultra-Orthodox parties would reach 61 seats, the barest majority. It would collide with a central campaign promise: forcing ultra-Orthodox men into compulsory military service. Israel's Supreme Court struck down sweeping exemptions for them in 2024.
A national unity government including both Netanyahu and Eisenkot is another possibility. There is precedent. In 2020, Netanyahu and Benny Gantz agreed a power-sharing deal that rotated the leadership.
Eisenkot and all but one member of his bloc have previously refused to enter government with Arab parties. Speculation persists that an agreement could be reached.
Herzog has warned the parties that compromise will be needed. He said he expected them to understand that "not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled". Between 2019 and 2022, Israel held five separate elections as Netanyahu and his rivals repeatedly failed to cooperate.
