Israeli President Isaac Herzog has selected Gadi Eisenkot, the strongest rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to attempt forming a new government after a tightly contested election that left no clear winner.
The decision comes following the October 27 election in which Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority yet remained the largest bloc in parliament. Eisenkot, a former military chief and leader of the Yashar party, received the most endorsements, including from Arab parties, even though he has declined to form an alliance with them.
Eisenkot now has 28 days to build a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension. His options include a minority government relying on Arab party support for key votes, a deal with ultra-Orthodox parties he has previously avoided, or a unity government with Netanyahu. Analysts consider all three paths difficult. If he fails, another candidate may try, and if no government is formed within roughly 100 days, the country could face another election.
In the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu’s Likud party won 27 seats, the highest for any single party, but his broader coalition secured only 53. Eisenkot’s Yashar party took 21 seats, while his centre-left to right-wing alliance reached 48. Arab-led parties achieved a record 19 seats.
A son of Moroccan immigrants, the 66-year-old Eisenkot would become Israel’s first Mizrahi prime minister if successful. He entered politics in 2022, briefly joined Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and later returned to opposition. From there he publicly criticised Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza campaign and vowed never to serve alongside him again.
Eisenkot’s personal story carries weight. A son and two nephews were killed while fighting in Gaza. On the campaign trail he emphasised his security experience, including the Dahiyeh doctrine of strong response he applied during the 2006 Lebanon war. He has also condemned rising settler violence against Palestinians and rejects Netanyahu’s far-right partners Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
In a brief statement, Eisenkot said the time has come to form a national emergency government and pledged to do everything possible to prove worthy of the responsibility.
