In brief
Israel’s president has given former army chief Gadi Eisenkot a mandate to assemble a new coalition within 28 days, after consultations with all parliamentary blocs. Eisenkot’s task is threatened by the lack of backing from both Arab and ultra‑Orthodox parties, which together hold 13 seats. If he cannot secure a majority, the president may hand the task to another candidate or trigger new elections.
When Israel’s constitutional process has been on display over past weeks, the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, on Saturday evening announced that he would task Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government. The decision followed consultations with political parties and was made after Herzog’s review of parliamentary recommendations.
He invited Eisenkot to the president’s residence on Sunday at 5 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) to formally receive the mandate. Eisenkot posted on the social media platform X that the occasion was “the time to establish a national emergency government” and that he would “do anything possible to prove us worthy.”
Under Israeli law, a former military chief who receives the presidential mandate has 28 days to assemble a coalition that can command a majority of the 120‑seat parliament. He may ask the president for a 14‑day extension. If he fails, the president can assign the task to another candidate, or 61 members of the Knesset can request the president to grant the mandate to a candidate of their choice. If none of those efforts succeed, the Knesset is dissolved and the country goes to new elections.
In the list of recommendations forwarded to Herzog, Eisenkot was backed by 48 lawmakers from four opposition‑bloc parties, plus 19 representatives from Arab‑led parties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a recommendation from 46 lawmakers. Seven members of the ultra‑Orthodox United Torah Judaism party declined to endorse either candidate. The seventy‑seven recommendations voted for Eisenkot reflect a coalition who could combine the various opposition blocks and the Arab parties, but the opposition is divided over whether Arab parties should be included.
Analysts caution that Eisenkot faces a hard path to a 61‑seat majority, because two ultra‑Orthodox parties—each holding a total of 13 seats—have not endorsed either candidate, and the opposition is split on cooperation with the Arab parties. Netanyahu, in speaking before the referendum of the Israeli public, called for a national unity government and warned that relying on Arab parties’ support would endanger the state.
Protesters have gathered at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on November 7, demanding unity and a new government formed by cooperation between Jewish and Arab parties. Their demonstrations underscore the stakes for citizens who face the uncertainty of an unclear government mandate.
Israel’s democratic institutions are preparing for a possible crisis of leadership. Herzog’s decision will require Eisenkot to negotiate across ideological lines, and the limited time of 28 days, as well as the possibility of a 14‑day extension, places a pressure on the new coalition to act swiftly and transparently. Should Eisenkot’s mandate fail, Herzog must decide whether to hand the task to another candidate or move the nation toward fresh elections, with 61 members of the Knesset able to submit a new recommendation for the president’s consideration.
The process is a reminder that the balance of power in Israel relies on negotiations between multiple parties, and that lawmakers’ support—or lack thereof—directly determines the continuity of public policy, elections, and court interpretations of law.
