Israeli president chooses Netanyahu rival Eisenkot to try to form government
Israeli President Isaac Herzog named former military chief Gadi Eisenkot on Saturday to try to form a new government after last month’s parliamentary vote ended in a deadlock. In a statement, Herzog said he had chosen Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strongest rival, even though neither man has a clear route to a majority.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is fighting to remain in office. His religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in the October 27 election but still emerged as the largest bloc in parliament. That leaves him with more seats than any rival grouping, yet without the numbers he previously used to govern.
Eisenkot’s anti-Netanyahu bloc has refused to join forces with Arab parties that could give it a majority. Arab leaders, angered by the policies of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, nonetheless put Eisenkot’s name forward during marathon talks with Herzog. The president’s choice therefore tests whether Eisenkot can assemble a working coalition without the partnership he has so far declined, or whether the stalemate that followed the election will persist.
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