Israeli President Picks Netanyahu’s Rival Gadi Eisenkot to Form Government

Israeli – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – The Israeli president picks Netanyahu’s rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, to try to form the country’s next government. The choice came on Saturday, after an election that left no clear winner.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still fighting to stay in power. His religious-nationalist bloc lost its majority in the October 27 vote, but it remains the largest group in parliament.

President Isaac Herzog’s office said Eisenkot will go to the President’s Residence on Sunday. There he will be formally given the task of building a coalition.

Eisenkot said on X that it is time for a national emergency government. He promised to do all he can to be worthy of the job.

Arab parties helped decide the nomination. They are angry over the policies of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, which they call racist. So they backed Eisenkot, even though he has refused to team up with them.

How the numbers look

Likud won 27 seats, the most of any single party in the 120-seat Knesset. But Netanyahu’s wider bloc took only 53 seats. A majority needs 61.

Eisenkot’s Yashar party came second with 21 seats. His four-party alliance won 48 seats in total. Two Arab parties won a record 19 seats.

A hard road ahead

Eisenkot has 28 days to build a government. He can ask for 14 more days. Talks are expected to be long and tough.

He has a few options. He could lead a minority government that relies on Arab votes for key issues. He could join with ultra-Orthodox parties, which his camp has avoided before. Or he could form a unity government with Netanyahu.

Analysts say all three paths look unlikely. If he fails, another candidate gets a turn. If nobody succeeds within about 100 days, Israel must hold another election.

Who is Gadi Eisenkot?

Eisenkot is 66 and the son of Moroccan immigrants. If he wins, he would be the first prime minister from the Mizrahi community.

He entered politics only in 2022. After the October 7, 2023 attack, he briefly joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet, then returned to the opposition. He has criticised Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war and says he will not serve under him.

His family has paid a heavy price. A son and two nephews were killed fighting in Gaza. He has also spoken out against settler violence and opposes far-right leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.