Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suffered a major political setback after his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, was invited to form the next government following the October 27 parliamentary election.
President Isaac Herzog has formally hand Eisenkot the mandate, giving the retired military chief up to six weeks to negotiate a coalition capable of replacing Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.
Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, received recommendations from 67 members of the incoming Knesset, including lawmakers from two Arab parties. Netanyahu, by comparison, secured only 46 recommendations.
The consultations also exposed divisions within Netanyahu’s traditional political bloc, as the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party declined to recommend him.
However, receiving the mandate does not automatically make Eisenkot prime minister. He must still secure the support needed to establish a functioning government.
Eisenkot has proposed a national emergency government involving four Jewish opposition parties, which collectively hold 48 seats. The proposed coalition includes his Yashar party, Together, led by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu and the left-wing Democrats led by Yair Golan.
His proposal also requires recognition of Israel as a Jewish, democratic, liberal and egalitarian state, commitment to the country’s Declaration of Independence, universal military or civilian service, and recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
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Although these conditions effectively exclude Arab parties from joining the Cabinet, their lawmakers could support the proposed government from outside, helping it secure the necessary parliamentary backing.
Under Israeli law, establishing a government requires a simple majority, while removing an existing government requires 61 lawmakers to support an alternative administration in the 120-member Knesset.
One of Eisenkot’s biggest challenges is Liberman, who has rejected the idea of forming a government dependent on Arab party support.
Liberman argues that such an arrangement would be unstable and could eventually strengthen Netanyahu’s political position.
Instead, he has proposed forming a coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, suggesting that some lawmakers from Netanyahu’s Likud party could later defect.
However, the proposal conflicts with the opposition’s campaign promise to end blanket exemptions from compulsory military service for ultra-Orthodox men. The ultra-Orthodox parties have continued to push for legislation protecting those exemptions.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has intensified his opposition to any political arrangement involving Arab parties, questioning the election results and alleging that Arab political groups influenced the outcome through bribery and foreign funding.
In a video statement on Saturday, Netanyahu warned that Israel would not survive if a minority government depended on Arab parties for support. He instead called for a national unity government involving his political bloc, including far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties. Eisenkot dismissed Netanyahu’s appeal, describing it as a political attempt to maintain power.
The opposition leader’s first major test is expected on Tuesday when the new Knesset is sworn in. Opposition lawmakers also intend to replace Netanyahu’s parliamentary speaker, potentially weakening his influence and creating room for investigations into the security failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
Eisenkot will initially have 28 days to negotiate a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension. If he fails, the mandate could return to Netanyahu, giving the prime minister another opportunity to form a government.
Despite the political divisions, Eisenkot has insisted that establishing a new administration is an urgent national priority, arguing that Netanyahu’s continued leadership without a parliamentary majority poses a danger to the country.
CNN
