Israeli President Herzog Tasks Eisenkot with Forming Government in Setback for Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Saturday that he will give former military chief Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form Israel’s next government, handing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a significant political setback nearly two weeks after the country’s parliamentary elections. The decision places Eisenkot, leader of the opposition Yashar party, in position to challenge Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, although assembling a governing coalition remains a formidable obstacle. Despite securing recommendations from 67 of the Knesset’s 120 incoming lawmakers, Eisenkot’s four-party “change bloc” holds just 48 seats, while Netanyahu’s outgoing coalition controls 53, leaving neither side with a parliamentary majority. Herzog informed both leaders of his decision Saturday following consultations with representatives of the newly elected parliament and additional discussions over the weekend. Eisenkot will formally receive the mandate Sunday at 5 p.m. local time, beginning a 28-day period to form a government that the president can extend by up to 14 days. Netanyahu, whose Likud party won 27 seats in the October 27 election, more than any other party, will remain prime minister while coalition negotiations proceed. Should Eisenkot fail, Herzog could offer Netanyahu or another lawmaker an opportunity to form a government, potentially prolonging the political deadlock that has repeatedly sent Israelis back to the polls in recent years. The president’s decision follows an election in which Netanyahu’s longstanding parliamentary alliance fell short of the 61 seats needed for an outright majority, despite outperforming expectations. During presidential consultations, 46 lawmakers recommended Netanyahu, while the seven members of United Torah Judaism (UTJ), an ultra-Orthodox party traditionally allied with him, declined to endorse either candidate. Eisenkot secured his 67 recommendations with the backing of 19 lawmakers from the Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List, whose support has emerged as a central obstacle to establishing a government capable of replacing Netanyahu. Against that backdrop, 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 warned, accusing the Arab parties of holding positions incompatible with Israel’s security interests. “With such a government, Israel simply will not survive,” he said. Instead, Netanyahu called for a national unity government incorporating his existing coalition partners and other Zionist parties, arguing that Israel’s security challenges demanded broader cooperation. “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,” Netanyahu continued. The prospect of a government dependent on Arab-party support carries particular significance following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, with Israel’s first parliamentary election since the attack renewing questions about the parties’ positions on Hamas and the country’s security. Ra’am, an Islamist party led by Mansour Abbas, joined the coalition headed by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in 2021. The Joint List, an alliance of predominantly Arab factions that includes communist and Arab nationalist parties, has never joined an Israeli governing coalition. Although both parties recommended Eisenkot during Herzog’s consultations, neither has committed to joining his government or guaranteeing the parliamentary support needed to sustain it. During presidential consultations earlier this week, Herzog directly asked Abbas whether he considered Hamas a terrorist organization. The Ra’am leader 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. The exchange underscored a potential obstacle for Eisenkot, who has made recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization and a commitment to dismantling its military and governing capabilities conditions for joining his government. His other requirements include recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, accepting the principles of its Declaration of Independence, and supporting mandatory military, national, or civilian service for all citizens. 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 those conditions. His Yashar party, meanwhile, rejected Netanyahu’s unity proposal and invited Likud to join a government led by Eisenkot instead, provided it abandoned its existing political alliances and accepted the four principles. Yet Eisenkot faces obstacles within his own four-party change bloc, whose leaders campaigned against forming a government with Arab parties or ultra-Orthodox factions — precisely the groups whose cooperation may now be necessary to replace Netanyahu. Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party, 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. Seeking another path to a majority, Liberman announced Friday that he was prepared to reconsider his longstanding opposition to governing alongside ultra-Orthodox parties and make concessions on military conscription, a central issue in the election campaign. That shift could open negotiations with UTJ, whose 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.” The proposed concessions could also encounter resistance within Eisenkot’s bloc. 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. For Netanyahu, who has repeatedly returned to power through Israel’s turbulent coalition politics, Herzog’s decision represents a setback rather than the end of his premiership. Eisenkot now has the first opportunity to form a government, but converting his 67 recommendations into a viable coalition will require overcoming deep political divisions and campaign pledges by his prospective partners not to govern with the very parties whose cooperation they may now need. Until a new government wins the Knesset’s confidence, Netanyahu remains prime minister — and could receive another opportunity to form a government if Eisenkot fails. Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.