Eisenkot Tapped to Form Israeli Government After Netanyahu Falls Short of Majority

Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, has tapped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main political rival, Gadi Eisenkot, to try to form the next government. Neither side won a parliamentary majority in last month's general election, and the decision is a major setback for Netanyahu.

Netanyahu's Likud party won the most seats in the election — 27. But although that was six more than Eisenkot's Yashar party, it was not enough to form a government. A majority in the 120-seat parliament requires 61 seats.

President Herzog will formally give Eisenkot the mandate at 5 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Gadi Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He served as the country's top military commander from 2015 to 2019, leading several military campaigns.

After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Eisenkot joined Netanyahu's emergency war cabinet. He left the following year, accusing Netanyahu of failing to make progress toward ending the Gaza war and securing the release of hostages.

Eisenkot has also suffered deep personal loss in the war. His son Gal, a reservist, was killed in Gaza, and two of his nephews also died in the war.

Eisenkot leads the centrist Yashar party, which he founded on a platform of fighting corruption and reforming the government.

He will now have 28 days to put together a coalition government, with a possible 14-day extension. In that time he must negotiate with rival parties and secure the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.

If Eisenkot fails, Herzog can give another lawmaker a chance to form a government. If those efforts also fail, Israel could face another election. Netanyahu would remain caretaker prime minister in the meantime.