Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief, has the first opportunity to form a government after last month’s election did not remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power. President Isaac Herzog’s spokesperson extended the invitation to Eisenkot on Saturday.
Eisenkot’s coalition lacks a majority in parliament, presenting challenges in forming a government. One option is a minority government with his party, Yashar, and allies like Together, The Democrats, and Israel Our Home, supported by two Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List. This coalition would have 48 seats along with the 19 from Arab parties, totaling 67 seats, enough to survive no-confidence votes. However, many Israelis may oppose including Arab parties in the government due to rising tensions since the October 7 Hamas attack. Israel Our Home’s leader, Avigdor Lieberman, has ruled out collaborating with Arab parties, whereas only The Democrats support their inclusion. Ra’am previously joined a government in 2021, which ended due to conflicts over the West Bank.
Another scenario is forming an alliance with the two ultra-Orthodox parties, which hold 13 seats. Their support would give Eisenkot’s bloc a majority of 61 seats. This partnership would require compromise on military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox seminary students, a sensitive issue among many Israelis. Lieberman has indicated he might be open to such a compromise despite criticism of the current exemptions. Meanwhile, one ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism, has not endorsed any candidate, while Shas supported Netanyahu.
Eisenkot could also pursue a unity government that includes Netanyahu’s Likud party, which has the largest number of seats. This would create a majority of 67 seats; however, it would contradict Eisenkot’s promise to dislodge Netanyahu and may force Netanyahu to exclude his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies. If neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu can form a government within 42 days, Herzog would likely nominate Netanyahu to try again.
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Should both fail, another candidate could be nominated, but if no one succeeds within about 100 days, a new election would be held. Herzog has urged all parties to avoid another election and to approach negotiations with an open mind.
With information from Reuters
