Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has decided to task Gadi Eisenkot with forming a new government, Euronews reports, citing a statement from the president’s office. The leader of the centrist Yashar party and former head of Israel’s armed forces secured recommendations from factions representing 67 MPs during consultations. That gives him an opening to build a majority, but does not mean a coalition agreement has been reached.
The decision was announced on Saturday evening, 7 November. The president’s office said a ceremony to hand over the mandate would take place on Sunday, 8 November. The Euronews report covers the decision and the planned ceremony; it does not confirm that the mandate has already been formally handed over.
Herzog reached his decision after consultations with political representatives, including Eisenkot and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the statement cited by Euronews, factions representing 67 members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, recommended Eisenkot. Netanyahu received the backing of 46 MPs.
Recommendations do not yet amount to a coalition
Those figures reflect the recommendations made to the president, rather than the membership of an agreed coalition or the result of a confidence vote in a future government. Eisenkot still faces the task of turning support for his candidacy into an agreement that would allow him to form an administration.
October’s election left neither main bloc with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Euronews reports that Netanyahu’s camp won 53 seats, the opposition led by Yashar took 48, and Arab parties secured 19 between them. Netanyahu’s Likud remained the largest individual party, with 27 seats. That distribution of seats is separate from the recommendations made during the presidential consultations.
According to Euronews, a candidate tasked with forming a government has 28 days to do so, and the president can extend that period by up to 14 days. Herzog’s decision therefore identifies who will attempt to form the next government; whether that attempt succeeds will depend on the political negotiations that follow.
