The key facts

  • President Herzog announced on November 7 his intention to task Gadi Eisenkot with forming the government; the ceremony will take place on November 8 at the President's residence.
  • Neither Eisenkot's bloc (48 seats according to DW) nor Netanyahu's bloc (53) won the required 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
  • Eisenkot received the support of Arab parties, which Netanyahu excluded from a possible coalition; 28 days have been allotted for negotiations, with a possible 14-day extension.

The mandate goes to the opposition

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday, November 7, informed Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, of his intention to task him with forming the next government. This is stated in a statement by the President's Office, which is cited by Deutsche Welle and Life.ru; the Anadolu agency citing the Ynet website, adds that the mandate handover ceremony will take place on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. local time at the President's residence.

Why the mandate did not go to Netanyahu

The decision was made after the parliamentary elections on October 27, in which neither bloc won a majority. According to Deutsche Welle, Eisenkot's bloc won 48 of the Knesset's 120 seats, while the bloc of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won 53; both fell short of the required 61 mandates. Although Netanyahu's bloc turned out to be the largest, the president chose his rival: both Arab parliamentary factions recommended Eisenkot for prime minister during the week, whereas Netanyahu ruled out cooperation with the Arab parties. Life.ru cites different figures for the recommendations: factions with 67 seats backed Eisenkot, 46 members of parliament backed Netanyahu, and seven more recommended no one; the outlet also recalls that on election day Netanyahu accused the opposition of trying to 'steal the election,' which Eisenkot's party rejected.

What happens next

Once he receives the mandate, Eisenkot — a former chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces — will have 28 days to assemble a coalition of 61 members of parliament; Herzog may extend the deadline by 14 days, and if no one succeeds, the country faces new elections. Eisenkot himself, even before the ceremony, stated on X that the time has come to form a 'national emergency government'and promised to do everything possible to live up to this responsibility. Deutsche Welle notes that the path to a coalition will be difficult: Eisenkot will have to combine Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties, and, according to Life.ru, disagreements persist among his potential allies.