In a major setback to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog said he was giving opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a governing coalition following the October 27 elections.
The president's move came after a clear majority of Knesset lawmakers endorsed the former military chief over the incumbent prime minister.
Eisenkot, who led the centrist Yashar bloc in the parliamentary elections, now has a statutory window of up to six weeks to negotiate with potential allies and build a viable majority to replace Netanyahu as prime minister. If he fails, Netanyahu could next be given the chance to do so.
“The president’s decision was made at the conclusion of the round of consultations with Knesset factions, and after holding in-depth conversations and further inquiries with various figures in the political system over the past few days,” a statement from the Office of the President said.
“As part of this process, the president met, among others, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with the chairman of the Yashar party, Gadi Eisenkot, to whom he conveyed his intention,” it added.
The president's office further stated that factions representing 67 members of the Knesset had formally recommended Eisenkot to lead the 38th government, comfortably exceeding the majority threshold of 61.
The announcement 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.
Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly portrayed the Arab-led parties as a threat to national security, while Eisenkot has indicated a willingness to work with them under certain conditions.
Soon after the president's announcement, Eisenkot called for the formation of a "national emergency government".
“Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy,” he said in a post on X.
However, according to a Times of Israel report, Eisenkot’s path to a governing coalition is far from straightforward. Hawkish members of his bloc are publicly opposed to any reliance on the Arab-led Ra’am and Joint List, it said.
The report also noted that many bloc members had campaigned on the need to send both Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties to the opposition.
