Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally gave opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form Israel's next government at a ceremony at the presidential residence in Jerusalem on Sunday evening.1,7,8
The mandate followed the October 27 parliamentary elections, in which neither bloc won a majority. Eisenkot's bloc of Zionist parties won 48 of the Knesset's 120 seats and Netanyahu's camp secured 53, while Eisenkot secured recommendations from 67 incoming lawmakers. It put the former military chief and leader of the centrist Yashar party in position to try to replace Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, who remains in office in a caretaker capacity until a coalition is formed.1,7,8
A government requires 61 seats. Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats, more than any other party, and 46 lawmakers recommended Netanyahu during consultations, while seven members of United Torah Judaism, an ultra-Orthodox party traditionally allied with him, declined to endorse either candidate. Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension from the president. If he fails, Herzog could ask Netanyahu or another lawmaker to try, and if no government is formed the country would return to elections early next spring. The new Knesset members will be sworn in on Tuesday evening.1,8
At the ceremony, Herzog said a majority of parliament members supported giving Eisenkot the task. “I hope with all my heart that whatever government is formed will lead to unity, connection and healing among all segments of our people– for our very existence depends on it, and we have only one country,” Herzog said. Eisenkot promised leadership that people can trust, that will act in the interests of the public and that represents all parts of society. “An absolute majority of Knesset members representing the Israeli public support change,” Eisenkot said. “I intend to navigate the situation with patience, humility, composure and a deep commitment to a Jewish, equal, liberal, and secure Israel.”1
Eisenkot laid out four conditions for parties that want to join him: recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, accepting its declaration of independence, supporting military, national or civil service for all citizens, and declaring Hamas a terrorist group. During consultations, Herzog directly asked Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas whether he considered Hamas a terrorist organization. Abbas declined to give a yes-or-no answer, later explaining that he needed room to serve as a bridge while protecting himself and his family. It remains unclear whether Eisenkot's would-be Arab partners are ready to accept these conditions.1,8
Eisenkot secured his 67 recommendations with the backing of 19 lawmakers from the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List. Only one Arab party, Ra'am, has ever joined a governing coalition, in 2021 under former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and Ra'am does not have enough seats on its own to give Eisenkot a majority. Breaking with decades of precedent, the Joint List, an alliance that includes communist and Arab nationalist parties and has never joined a coalition, offered to support Eisenkot from outside the coalition. For Eisenkot, that cooperation would mean aligning with parties that criticize Israel's policies and reject its identity as a Jewish state. Avigdor Liberman, chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, has said his party will not join a coalition with Arab-led parties and has ruled out supporting a minority government dependent on abstentions by Ra'am and the Joint List, insisting instead on a coalition of at least 61 lawmakers.1,8
Netanyahu warned in a video statement Saturday that a government dependent on Arab-party support would undermine Israel's ability to confront Hamas and other security threats, including Iran. “A government dependent on terror supporters will not fight terror,” Netanyahu said, accusing the Arab parties of holding positions incompatible with Israel's security interests. “With such a government, Israel simply will not survive,” he said. He called instead for a national unity government including his existing partners and other Zionist parties. “Therefore, there is only one choice: not national suicide, but national unity,” he said. “A national unity government will permanently remove the nuclear threat from Iran, preserve Israel as a Jewish state, and bring unity among us,” he said. Netanyahu has also repeatedly asserted unsubstantiated claims that the election was stolen by Arab parties, and says any alliance with these parties would be an act of betrayal.1,8
Following Herzog's announcement, Eisenkot declared that “now is the time for the formation of a national emergency government,” pledging to pursue an agreement among parties willing to accept his conditions. His Yashar party rejected Netanyahu's proposed unity arrangement and challenged Likud to abandon its existing coalition partners, accept Eisenkot's four governing principles, and join a government under Eisenkot's leadership. Eisenkot has previously ruled out serving in a Netanyahu-led government. He also appealed to Likud and to the party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join a government led by himself as prime minister. “My door is open and my hand is extended, wholeheartedly and willingly, to anyone who understands the gravity of this moment,” he said.1,8
Eisenkot and his partners made equal military service a central part of their campaign, seeking an end to long-standing draft exemptions. The religious parties, which were part of Netanyahu's outgoing coalition, want to preserve the exemptions, calling them essential to their lifestyle of religious study, and the exemptions have grown especially controversial among the broader public during the past three years of war. Anticipating its position as a swing vote, United Torah Judaism has left the door open to cooperating with Eisenkot. Liberman announced Friday that he was prepared to reconsider his opposition to governing alongside ultra-Orthodox parties and make concessions on military conscription. Those seven seats would bring Eisenkot's four-party bloc to 55, still short of a majority. Shas, another ultra-Orthodox party traditionally allied with Netanyahu, has publicly dismissed reports that it intends to join Eisenkot's government as “complete fake news.” Yair Golan, chairman of the left-wing Democrats party, has expressed willingness to cooperate with ultra-Orthodox factions but insists on military conscription, greater workforce participation and other reforms.1,8
Israel's Shin Bet security agency has launched an investigation into possible foreign interference in the vote, but the Central Elections Committee and Herzog say the vote was valid and even if wrongdoing is found, it did not have a significant impact on the results. The talks come as Israel's first parliamentary election since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, renewing questions about the parties' positions on Hamas and security. Despite tenuous ceasefires, Israel's military continues to fight Hamas militants in Gaza and Iran-aligned Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, where Israel has occupied swathes of the south.1,8
Eisenkot has vowed to form a government as quickly as possible, but each likely path appears to entail compromises or broken promises. Aside from seeking the support of the Arab-led parties, he has two other options: a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu or an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties, which demand military exemptions. Netanyahu and his cabinet will remain in office with limited powers while negotiations proceed.1
