Israel President tasks Netanyahu rival Gadi Eisenkot with forming government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday (November 7) tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with the first opportunity to form a government following the October 27 elections.

Eisenkot, a former military chief, ran as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading a bloc of parties seeking to oust Israel's longest-serving premier.

Netanyahu is fighting to hold onto office after his religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in an October 27 election but still emerged as the largest bloc in parliament.

Also read | Choice for Israel’s Opposition: Work with Arab parties or let Netanyahu return

Neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu won a clear majority in the vote. But in marathon discussions with the president this week, representatives from most of Israel's main parties recommended Eisenkot be tasked with assembling a new government.

Netanyahu's call for unity govt

The announcement, which had been expected on Sunday, came shortly after Netanyahu called for a “national unity government” in a video statement and warned against “hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters” -- an apparent reference to the Arab-led parties.

There is precedent for a unity government. In 2020, following three deadlocked elections, Netanyahu and his centrist rival Benny Gantz agreed a power-sharing deal in which the leadership rotated between the two.

During his consultations with the parties, Herzog had said that to prevent another round of elections and to build a stable government, he expected "factions and their representatives to understand that, in the current reality, not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled".

Eisenkot's conditions for alliance

Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly portrayed the Arab-led parties as a threat to national security, while Eisenkot has indicated a willingness to partner with them under certain conditions, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that needs to be destroyed.

Also read | Israel’s Eisenkot gets 67 lawmakers behind him, Herzog to decide on Nov 8

Eisenkot's party, Yashar, slammed the prime minister's video with a statement posted on X and urged members of his party, Likud, to disavow their alliance with “radical parties,” in an apparent reference to the more extreme parties in his religious-nationalist base.

The statement argued that Eisenkot would only include parties and parliament members who support its principles, including recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

(With agency inputs)