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Nathan Williams
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog announced on the 5th that he has asked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, former military chief of staff, to form a new coalition government. There was no clear winner for the National Assembly (120 seats) in the October 27 general election, and the president continued to hold discussions with each party.
Eisenkot, head of the centrist Yashar party, will now have 28 days to form a new government. After that, a 14-day extension may be granted.
"Now is the time to form a national emergency government. We will do everything in our power to be worthy of it," Eisenkot wrote on social media.
Up until now, Israel has never had a single government ruled by a single political party, and has had various coalition governments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and a coalition of far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties won a total of 53 seats in parliament, but not a majority. Eisenkot's Yashar and three opposition Jewish parties won a total of 48 seats.
Meanwhile, two Arab coalitions, the Arab United List and the Joint List, won an unprecedented 19 seats together, as turnout among Arab voters soared.
This gave the Arab coalition a position where it could become a deciding factor in establishing a government. However, all but one of the Jewish parties announced before the election that they would not form a coalition government with the Arab coalition.
President Herzog said he would consult with all political parties in the week following the general election and then offer Eisenkot the opportunity to form a government.
A statement from the presidential palace said the president informed both Eisenkot and Netanyahu of the decision.
The statement said that after consulting with a delegation of elected officials, 67 endorsed Eisenkot as prime minister candidate, while 46 supported Netanyahu.
Israel's president has the power to choose the person he believes has the best chance of forming a coalition government. There is no need to choose the leader of the party with the most seats.
The results of the general election showed three possibilities for forming a government. A national unity government with both Netanyahu and Eisenkot participating, a right-wing coalition made up of defectors from Netanyahu and Eisenkot's camps, or a government led by Eisenkot with support from Arab parties.
Mr Eisenkot and all but one of his allies have so far rejected forming a coalition with an Arab party, but there is speculation that a coalition agreement could be reached.
Mr. Eisenkot could potentially seek a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties, but this is said to be difficult to achieve.
In Israel, there is a precedent in the past for a government of national unity to be formed. After three general elections starting in 2019 without a government in place, Netanyahu and his centrist rival Benny Gantz agreed to a power-sharing agreement in 2020 that would see them take turns in governing.
Israeli politics was deeply divided between 2019 and 2022, with five general elections held as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rivals repeatedly struggled to work together.
President Herzog, in a discussion with each party following the election results, stated that in order to avoid re-election and establish a stable government, ``Each faction and its representatives need to understand that it is impossible to realize all promises and commitments under the current circumstances.''
(English article Israel's president tasks leader opposition Eisenkot with forming government)
