Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form the country’s next government, dealing a major setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an election that left parliament without a clear majority.
Herzog informed Eisenkot of his decision on Saturday evening, 7 November, following two days of consultations with party leaders, according to the president’s spokesperson. Eisenkot will formally receive the mandate at a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem today, Sunday, 8 November, at 5pm local time, according to the Times of Israel. Once tasked, he will have 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible extension of up to 14 days — taking the deadline to about 6 December, or about 20 December with the full extension.
The decision follows a recommendation count that looked decisive on paper. Factions representing 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members recommended Eisenkot, against 46 for Netanyahu, while the seven members of United Torah Judaism recommended neither candidate. But Herzog has warned that the numbers do not settle the question, saying “mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves” made it hard to tell who could actually build a coalition.
A majority on paper, a deadlock in practice
The 27 October election gave Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist bloc 53 seats, the four Jewish-led parties backing Eisenkot 48, and the Arab-led parties a record 19. A government needs 61 seats. Eisenkot, the former army chief who leads the Yashar party, won 21 seats and leads an alliance that includes Together, The Democrats and Yisrael Beiteinu. He has pitched a “national emergency government” and said 74 lawmakers had not expressed confidence in Netanyahu continuing in office.
The arithmetic is unforgiving. The recommendation count of 67 includes Arab-led parties that Eisenkot and his allies have signalled they will not govern with — 12 from the Joint List and seven from Ra’am — and the leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, Avigdor Liberman, has ruled out relying on those parties. Eisenkot has said he would only bring the Arab-led parties into government if they meet conditions including recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation, although the Joint List has said it could support his government from outside. Winning over the two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, would give him exactly 61 seats.
What happens if he fails
Receiving the mandate is an opportunity to negotiate, not an appointment as prime minister. Netanyahu remains prime minister in a caretaker government while the process runs, and the new Knesset is due to be sworn in on 10 November. If Eisenkot cannot form a government within the allotted period, Herzog may nominate another candidate, who would receive a further 28 days. If that route fails, the process can move to a 21-day parliamentary stage, and if no government emerges the Knesset will be dissolved and Israel will hold another election early next year.
Herzog’s path to the decision was cleared when Israel’s election commission rejected Likud’s fraud claims and confirmed the results. “The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality,” Herzog said, according to Al Jazeera.
Related coverage: Eisenkot Pitches Emergency Government as Herzog Weighs Mandate | Israel Opposition Moves to Oust Speaker Ohana on November 10
