Israel’s President Taps Gadi Eisenkot to Form Government, Bypassing Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has chosen former military chief and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot to take the first opportunity to form the country’s next government, bypassing incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Herzog informed Eisenkot of his decision on Saturday evening, November 7. The president is expected to formally hand him the mandate at a ceremony on Sunday, November 8, Al Jazeera reported. 

Following the general election held on October 27, in which no bloc secured an outright majority, Herzog held consultations with political parties on forming the next government. During the consultations, lawmakers representing 67 seats recommended Eisenkot for the task, including members of Arab-led parties. By comparison, lawmakers representing 46 seats recommended Netanyahu. 

Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of an additional 14-day extension from the president. He will need the support of at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset to form a coalition government. 

Eisenkot’s four-party bloc won 48 seats in the election, while the right-wing and religious parties aligned with Netanyahu secured 53. Arab-led parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel won a record 19 seats. As a result, neither side secured the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

Eisenkot has ruled out forming a coalition government with Arab-led parties. Their support, however, could bring the number of lawmakers backing his bid to 67. He could also secure a majority with the support of the ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas. Another possibility is forming a minority government that wins a confidence vote in parliament. 

Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said Herzog’s decision was widely expected because Eisenkot had received recommendations from the largest number of lawmakers. However, his main challenge will be to form a government that honours his election promises while managing pressure from the right-wing opposition bloc led by Netanyahu.

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Eisenkot served as chief of staff of the Israeli military from 2015 to 2019. For the first eight months after Israel launched its war in Gaza in October 2023, he also served as an observer in Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Saturday, Ahmed Tibi, a senior leader of the Arab-led Joint List alliance, said Herzog’s decision had been expected. However, he said they had been concerned about the possibility of a national unity government based on a power-sharing arrangement between Eisenkot and Netanyahu.

Tibi said they were relieved that Eisenkot had been given the opportunity to form a government, creating a significant opening for him.

He suggested that Eisenkot could form a minority government with support from Arab parties from outside the coalition. Although such an arrangement might not meet the expectations of the Arab parties, Tibi said their main objective was to remove from power the government led by Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Hours before Herzog announced his decision, Netanyahu warned that a government formed by opposition parties with the support of Arab-led groups would threaten Israel’s existence.

In a video address, Netanyahu said a government dependent on Islamists would dismantle the State of Israel from within and that the situation would be even worse than what was happening in some European countries.

Responding to Netanyahu, Tibi said the prime minister had labelled them supporters of terrorism and terrorists. Tibi, however, accused Netanyahu of being the biggest terrorist in Israel and the region and of being a leading supporter of Jewish terrorism, particularly in the occupied West Bank and Palestinian territories.

Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh noted that although Eisenkot had publicly expressed reluctance to form a government with Arab-led parties, both sides shared an interest in removing Netanyahu from power. That political equation could ultimately play a significant role in determining the shape of Israel’s next government.

If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted 28 days, the president may give another candidate the opportunity. If the second candidate also fails, a majority of Knesset members may nominate a third person, who would receive a final 14-day period to form a government. If that attempt also fails, the country could move towards another election.