Israeli president picks Gadi Eisenkot to form government
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given former military chief Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a new government after October’s tightly contested election left neither of the main camps with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Herzog’s office said on Saturday evening that Eisenkot had been told of the president’s intention to task him with forming a government and would be invited to the presidential residence for a formal ceremony on Sunday.
Eisenkot leads the centrist Yashar party and a broad anti-Netanyahu alliance that won 48 seats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp took 53, so both fell short of the 61 votes needed. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, remains in office for now; his religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority even though it emerged as the largest bloc. Should Eisenkot succeed, he would replace him.
Coalition arithmetic is difficult. Netanyahu has ruled out working with Arab parties. Both Arab-majority lists recommended Eisenkot during the week, giving the runner-up endorsements Netanyahu would not accept. Eisenkot must still stitch together a majority that could involve Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties. He has 28 days to secure 61 votes; Herzog may grant a 14-day extension if he falls short, after which the mandate would go to someone else. If no candidate succeeds, Israel would face another election.
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