Israel in ‘state of emergency’ Eisenkot warns after opposition leader tasked with forming government

Israel’s former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has said Israel is in a state of emergency and reaching a “point of no return,” after he was tasked with forming the next government.Eisenkot, leader of the centre-right Yashar party, formally received the mandate from Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, on Sunday and now has 28 days to try to form a new government, with a potential 14-day extension. Neither Eisenkot nor his rival Benjamin Netanyahu managed to secure a clear majority in the October elections, with 67 lawmakers endorsing the former, and only 46 backing the incumbent prime minister. “We are in a state of emergency, approaching a point of no return for the State of Israel,” Eisenkot said at the ceremony on Sunday.Yashar Party leader, Gadi Eisenkot, speaks during a ceremony at the President's residence that task him with forming a government (Getty)He said Israeli democracy was at a vulnerable time, warning “a campaign to delegitimise democracy and growing distrust of state institutions, fuelled day after day, have brought us to an extremely dangerous point”.“We must form a national emergency government. This will require creative and unconventional political steps,” he added.He now faces the tough task of persuading rival parties to join his coalition to secure the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. If he is unable to do this then Herzog has to offer the mandate to Netanyahu, and if he fails then Israel will hold fresh elections.Eisenkot has three different options to form a government: the first being a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu, another would be with support from Arab-led parties – which several members of his bloc do not want, or an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties, which demand military exemptions for their community.Israel's President Isaac Herzog (R) and Israeli opposition bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot with the signed mandate to form a new government (AFP/Getty)The opposition leader received the endorsements of both Arab-majority lists, who could now play kingmakers after making historic gains, winning 19 seats. But his conditions for them joining a coalition include the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and declaring the Palestinian militant group Hamas a terrorist organisation. One of his partners, the Yisrael Beiteinu party, has already said it will not join a coalition with Arab-led parties.Netanyahu called for a “national unity” government of all zionist parties to preserve the Jewish state on Saturday night, but it is unclear whether the two could agree on a power-sharing agreement. “This is the will of the people and the need of the hour,” he said in a statement, ruling out a coalition government with Arab parties, which he has previously said would be “a shame and a disgrace”. Eisenkot is already reaching out to Netanyahu’s allies. Republican losses in the US midterm elections prompted calls for its government to rethink its unwavering support of Israel (Reuters)On Sunday he appealed to the prime minister’s Likud party as well as the far-right party of the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, to join him.“My door is open and my hand is extended, wholeheartedly and willingly, to anyone who understands the gravity of this moment,” he said. “There is great urgency for new leadership, leadership that people can look in the eye and trust,” he added.If Eisenkot succeeds in forming a coalition cabinet, he would unseat Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister.The country remains deeply divided country after the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and was followed by a catastrophic war in Gaza. National security remains a major issue for the next government, with Herzog citing the threat of possible attack from Iran and the need to move towards peace in Gaza.“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,” the president, Herzog, said on Sunday.It comes as Netanyahu’s close ally, US president Donald Trump, suffered a humiliating defeat in last week’s US midterm elections.“We are in the midst of a devastating diplomatic crisis. Even our closest friends and strategic allies are saying their relationship with Israel must be reassessed,” Eisenkot said, referring to US elections, which prompted calls for the Trump administration to rethink its unwavering support of Israel.