Israel's president tasks opposition leader Eisenkot with forming government
Neither PM Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor that of his rival secured a majority in last week's election.
Key points
- Israel's president gave opposition leader Eisenkot the first chance to form a government.
- Eisenkot's bloc won 48 seats; Netanyahu's allies won 53 in the 120-seat Knesset.
- Eisenkot received 67 party recommendations, Netanyahu 46, the president's office said.
Israel's President Isaac Herzog has tasked opposition leader Eisenkot with forming a government after last week's election left neither Eisenkot's bloc nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's with a majority in the Knesset. Eisenkot now has 28 days to build an administration, with a possible 14-day extension.
Herzog held talks with political parties during the week before announcing the decision, and his office said he informed both Eisenkot and Netanyahu. In consultations with incoming Knesset members, Eisenkot received 67 recommendations for the premiership and Netanyahu 46.
Seat counts after the vote
Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies won 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his bloc won 48.
Two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, together won an unprecedented 19 seats after a surge in turnout among Arab voters, positioning them as potential kingmakers. However, all but one of the Jewish parties pledged before the polls not to work with them to form a government.
Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy
— Eisenkot
Possible paths to a coalition
The results implied three options: a national unity administration involving both Netanyahu and Eisenkot, a right-wing coalition involving Netanyahu and defectors from Eisenkot's bloc, or an Eisenkot-led government supported by the Arab parties.
Eisenkot and every member of his bloc bar one have previously refused to enter government with Arab parties, though there has been speculation an agreement could be reached. Herzog said he expected factions to understand that, in the current reality, not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled.
