Eisenkot, not Netanyahu, gets mandate to form government in Israel

Gadi Eisenkot, Israel's main opposition leader and a former chief of staff, has received the formal mandate to form a new coalition government. President Isaac Herzog informed him of the decision to entrust him with the task.

In the recently concluded Knesset election, neither the bloc led by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Eisenkot's centrist camp won the majority needed to form a government. After intensive rounds of talks with representatives of various parties, the president decided to give Eisenkot the chance to form a government.

After receiving the mandate, Eisenkot wrote on the social media platform X that now is the time to form a national emergency government. He added that he would do his utmost to prove worthy of the responsibility.

The former chief of staff has 28 days in the first phase to form a new cabinet, which can be extended by a further 14 days if needed.

In Israel's parliamentary history, no single party has ever won a full majority in the Knesset, so coalition rule has always remained the norm in the country.

In the just-concluded election to the 120-seat parliament, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, together with its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies, won 53 seats. Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other opposition parties in his camp together won 48 seats.

The biggest surprise of the election came from the two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List. With record turnout among Arab voters, they jointly won an unprecedented 19 seats, emerging as the key power brokers in the complex arithmetic of forming a government.

Although almost all Jewish parties, except one, had declared before the vote that they would not ally with the Arabs, the president placed his trust in Eisenkot after reviewing the formal recommendations of members of parliament.

The president's office said that in the consultation meetings of lawmakers, 67 letters of support were submitted for Eisenkot for the post of prime minister, against 46 for Netanyahu. President Herzog later informed both leaders of the decision.

Under Israeli law, the president is under no obligation to summon the leader of the party with the most seats; rather, he can nominate whoever appears most capable of delivering an effective government.

In the current situation, three possible equations for forming a government are visible. First, a national unity government through a joint initiative by Netanyahu and Eisenkot; second, a right-wing coalition led by Netanyahu by winning over lawmakers from Eisenkot's camp; and third, a cabinet led by Eisenkot with the support of the Arab parties.

Although he opposed cooperation with the Arabs in the past, there is strong speculation that Eisenkot may now reach some kind of understanding with them in the present circumstances. He may also try to reach an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties, although that process could be quite complicated.

Consensus governments have been seen before in Israeli politics. In 2020, after a long deadlock and three consecutive elections, Netanyahu and his then main rival Benny Gantz reached a power-sharing agreement to serve as prime minister in turn.

During his meetings with political parties, President Herzog reminded them that to avoid another election and ensure a stable government, the parties should understand that not every election promise can be fulfilled in reality. Notably, during the political crisis of 2019 to 2022, Israel had to face five consecutive elections because of the lack of mutual agreement.