Ben-Gvir tasked with forming Israeli government with backing of 67 lawmakers

Gadi Ben-Gvir formally received the mandate to form the Israeli government at a ceremony held at the president's office, after being recommended by 67 lawmakers during President Isaac Herzog's consultations, compared to 46 lawmakers who recommended Benjamin Netanyahu.

The mandate came following elections that resulted in fragmented distribution of the 120 Knesset seats; the government bloc secured 53 seats and the opposition 48 seats, with neither reaching the 61-seat threshold required to form a government.

Ben-Gvir said in his remarks following the appointment that Israel is passing through an exceptional phase amid an ongoing war on multiple fronts and a severe diplomatic crisis, adding: "Israel does not have the luxury of time or the repetition of endless electoral cycles." President Herzog called on him to seek to form a government that serves all citizens.

Notably, parties representing Palestinians among Israel's citizens, which secured 19 seats in the elections in a result described as historic, also recommended Ben-Gvir in their turn. However, the latter explicitly announced that he will not include Arab parties in the coalition, raising fundamental questions about how he will secure the required parliamentary majority.

By contrast, Ben-Gvir's party accused Netanyahu of deepening divisions in Israeli society, while Ben-Gvir's camp questioned the sincerity of Netanyahu's call for a national unity government.