Israeli president tasks Gadi Eisenkot with forming government
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has chosen Gadi Eisenkot to form a new government after October's election, with a formal ceremony set for Sunday.
The decision comes after a neck-and-neck race in Israel's October election, where Eisenkot's bloc of Zionist parties won 48 seats, while Netanyahu's camp secured 53 seats. Despite being runner-up, Eisenkot secured endorsements from Arab parties, which won a historic 19 seats.
Historic Arab support
Political reliance on Arab parties is contentious in Israeli politics, though not unprecedented. The government led by Yitzhak Rabin relied on Arab parties' votes from the opposition until his assassination in 1995, while the Arab party Ra'am was part of the coalition led by Naftali Bennet and Yair Lapid between 2021 and 2022.
Complicated coalition talks ahead
Eisenkot faces a tricky path to forming a government, involving difficult constellations of Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties. He will have 28 days to secure the 61 votes needed to form a government, with President Herzog able to grant a 14-day extension if necessary.
Should Eisenkot succeed, he would take over as prime minister from Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving premier, whose religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority despite emerging as the largest bloc. If no candidate succeeds, Israel will likely head to fresh elections.
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