Israeli President Herzog Gives Government Formation Task to Eisenkot

Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar Party, with forming a government on November 8, following the October 27 general elections. At a ceremony at the presidential residence, Herzog asked Eisenkot to form "a government that will serve all of society" and said he sincerely wished that the government would be established and lead the country toward unity, solidarity, and a process of healing among all sections of society.

In his remarks accepting the task, Eisenkot said, "Today I stand here with a deep sense of duty. All citizens of Israel are with me." Noting that Israel is going through an extraordinary period in which "war fronts remain open and the country faces a devastating diplomatic crisis," Eisenkot emphasized his determination to form an emergency national government and stressed that this would require extraordinary political steps. He said Israel does not have "the luxury of going through endless election cycles again" and that the government must be formed as soon as possible.

According to the election results, in the 120-seat Knesset, the bloc led by incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won only 53 seats, falling short of the 61-seat majority needed to form a government. The opposition bloc secured 48 seats. Parties representing Arabs in Israel nearly doubled their seat count, rising to 19, and thus attained a decisive position in the balance of power. In consultations with Herzog, 67 lawmakers backed Eisenkot while 46 supported Netanyahu; United Torah Judaism (7 seats) did not nominate any candidate.

Although both Netanyahu and Eisenkot had stated before the elections that they would not cooperate with the parties in question, the Joint List alliance, composed of Arab parties, subsequently announced their decision to support Eisenkot. It was noted that this decision was made "in response to public demand to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government from returning to power."

Under Israeli law, Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government; President Herzog can extend this period by an additional 14 days if necessary.