Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has nominated former army chief Gadi Eisenkot to form the country’s next government, rejecting the bid of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Herzog informed Eisenkot of his decision on Saturday evening and will formally present him with the mandate at a ceremony on Sunday, the president’s spokesperson said, reports Al Jazeera.
The decision followed consultations with political parties this week after neither camp secured a parliamentary majority in the 27 October general election.
A total of 67 lawmakers, including members of Arab-led parties, recommended Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, to form the next government. In contrast, only 46 lawmakers backed Netanyahu.
Eisenkot now has 28 days to form a coalition, with the possibility of a 14-day extension.
He must secure the support of at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset to establish a government.
Eisenkot’s four-party alliance secured 48 seats in the October election, while Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc won 53.
Neither side reached the 61-seat threshold required for a parliamentary majority. Meanwhile, Arab-led parties, which represent Palestinian citizens of Israel, secured a record 19 seats.
Although support from Arab-led parties could give Eisenkot a 67-seat bloc, he has ruled out including them in his government.
Securing the backing of the two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, would give him exactly 61 seats.
He could also establish a minority government with fewer than 61 seats if he wins a parliamentary confidence vote.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said Herzog had taken “the predictable route” by selecting Eisenkot, who received the highest number of recommendations.
“The hard work will begin now for Eisenkot to put together a government that can pass a vote of confidence at the Knesset that: one, will not break too many of the promises he made on the campaign trail; and two, that can survive the opposition of the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu,” Odeh said.
If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the stipulated period, Herzog will nominate another candidate. Should the second nominee also fail, a majority in parliament can endorse a third candidate, who will receive a final 14 days to form a government.
If all attempts fail, Israel will hold another election within 90 days, while Netanyahu will remain in office as caretaker prime minister.
United against Netanyahu government
Eisenkot served as Israel’s military chief from 2015 to 2019. He also attended Netanyahu’s war cabinet as an observer during the first eight months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which began in October 2023.
Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the Joint List, a coalition of Arab-led parties holding 11 parliamentary seats, told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Herzog’s decision was “expected”.
“We were concerned that the president would move towards a national unity government,” he said, referring to a proposed power-sharing arrangement between Eisenkot and Netanyahu.
Instead, the Arab-led parties endorsed Eisenkot, giving him a “considerable margin” in the nomination process.
Tibi said he expected Eisenkot to form a minority government with external support from Arab parties.
Although such an arrangement would not be a “dream government” for the Arab-led parties, Tibi said their priority was to remove “the government of Netanyahu, [Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [Bezalel] Smotrich”.
Hours before Herzog announced his decision, Netanyahu warned that an opposition-led government relying on support from Arab-led parties would bring about Israel’s collapse.
“Such a government, dependent on Islamists, will dismantle the state of Israel from within, as is happening in European countries, and far worse than that,” Netanyahu said in a prerecorded video address.
His remarks echoed claims by far-right politicians who falsely suggest that parts of Europe have come under Islamic law.
Tibi accused Netanyahu of misrepresenting the Arab-led parties.
“Netanyahu ‘described us as supporters of terrorists and terrorism’,” Tibi said. “My response to him is this: Netanyahu is the biggest terrorist in Israel and the region, and the foremost supporter of terrorism, particularly Jewish terrorism in the West Bank and the Palestinian territories.”
Al Jazeera’s Odeh noted that although Eisenkot had explicitly ruled out forming a government with Arab-led parties, both sides had strong reasons to remove Netanyahu from power.
