In a country still carrying the weight of October 7 and the long war that followed, Israel's president has placed a difficult task in the hands of Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief who challenged Benjamin Netanyahu at the polls. Neither bloc gained a majority, so the balance now rests with Arab-led parties whose entry into power would break a long-standing taboo. Eisenkot has six weeks to decide whether a divided nation can be stitched together, or whether the attempt will fall away.
Israel's President Taps Eisenkot to Form Government, Dealing Setback to Netanyahu
Eisenkot has the first shot, but not yet a government.
Mark
Why does this announcement matter if nobody actually won a majority?
Mimi
Because Herzog's choice sets who gets to try first. Most of the main parties recommended Eisenkot, so he now has up to six weeks to build a coalition, and that's a real step toward ending Netanyahu's tenure.
Mark
What makes the math so hard?
Mimi
Neither bloc has a majority. The Arab-led parties made historic gains, so they could tip the balance, but an Arab party has joined a governing coalition only once in Israel's history.
Luke
Let me separate what's established. The lack of a majority for either bloc is reported fact. Netanyahu's claim that Arab parties "stole" the election is described as unsubstantiated.
Mark
And Eisenkot's own position on those parties?
Mimi
He's indicated willingness to partner under certain conditions, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that needs to be destroyed. But he hasn't committed to a specific arrangement.
Luke
Right, and that's the gap. The article says he could pursue a minority government with outside Arab support, but members of his own bloc say they'd reject it. We don't know yet whether that objection holds.
Mark
What about a unity government with Netanyahu?
Mimi
Possible on paper, but the differences are large: draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, and Netanyahu's opposition to a formal inquiry into the Oct. 7 failures.
Luke
Worth noting Netanyahu publicly called for unity just before Herzog spoke. Whether that's a real offer or a tactic to block the Arab-party route, the reporting doesn't say.
Mark
So what's the honest summary?
Mimi
Eisenkot has the first shot, not a government. Everything depends on which compromise his coalition can survive.
Der Puls
- Neither Eisenkot's bloc nor Netanyahu's reached a parliamentary majority, leaving the outcome hanging on a few seats.
- Arab-led parties, which made historic gains, now hold the kind of leverage that has rarely existed before.
- Netanyahu is pressing for a national unity government and warning against partnership with parties he labels terrorist supporters.
- Eisenkot's party is pushing back, demanding that coalition partners condemn Hamas and that Likud disavow its far-right allies.
- With a six-week clock running, Eisenkot must choose between a unity deal, an outside-supported minority government, or failure.
In a country still carrying the weight of October 7 and the long war that followed, Israel's president has placed a difficult task in the hands of Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief who challenged Benjamin Netanyahu at the polls. Neither bloc gained a majority, so the balance now rests with Arab-led parties whose entry into power would break a long-standing taboo. Eisenkot has six weeks to decide whether a divided nation can be stitched together, or whether the attempt will fall away.
On Saturday night, President Isaac Herzog gave Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition leader and former military chief, the first chance to form a governing coalition after the October 27 elections. It is a setback for Benjamin Netanyahu, who has held the premiership longer than anyone before him, though it is not yet a victory for Eisenkot. He has six weeks, in a country still shaken by the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and by the years of war in Gaza that followed.
The election produced no clear winner. Netanyahu and his allies lost their majority, but Eisenkot's bloc fell short too. That leaves Arab-led parties, which made historic gains, as potential kingmakers. An Arab party has joined a governing coalition only once in Israel's history, so any such arrangement would be deeply contested, especially for Eisenkot.
Netanyahu has tried to block any partnership between Eisenkot and those parties, claiming without evidence that they 'stole' the election and warning against a government with 'terrorist supporters.' Eisenkot has signaled he would work with them if they describe Hamas as a terrorist group to be destroyed. His party also urged Likud to break with its far-right allies.
The paths ahead are narrow. A unity government with Netanyahu's bloc founders on deep disagreements over ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions and an investigation into Oct. 7. A minority government backed from outside by Arab parties faces resistance from within Eisenkot's own bloc. Over the coming weeks, the choice he makes will shape not only who governs Israel, but how the country reckons with its divisions.
On Saturday night, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced that Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition candidate, would get the first chance to assemble a governing coalition after the elections held on Oct. 27. The decision moves Eisenkot, a former military chief who ran as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a step closer to unseating the man who has served longer as Israel's premier than anyone before him.
The mandate comes with a clock. Eisenkot has up to six weeks to build a coalition, in a country that remains deeply divided and is still reeling from the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and the three years of war in Gaza and beyond that followed.
The election did not produce a clean winner. Netanyahu and his allies lost their majority in parliament, but the bloc led by Eisenkot also fell short. That left Arab-led parties, which made historic gains, as potential kingmakers, a role that is politically fraught. An Arab party has been part of a governing coalition just once in Israel's history, and after more than three years of war in Gaza, such a partnership could be especially divisive for Eisenkot.
Herzog's choice followed marathon discussions with party representatives this week. Most of Israel's main parties recommended that Eisenkot be the one tasked with forming a government. Even so, assembling the parliamentary majority he needs remains difficult.
Netanyahu has been working to head off any alliance between Eisenkot and the Arab-led parties. He has made unsubstantiated claims that those parties "stole" the elections. Shortly before Herzog spoke, he released a video statement calling for a "national unity government" and warning against "hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters," language he uses for the Arab-led parties. He and his allies have repeatedly cast those parties as a threat to national security. Eisenkot has signaled he is willing to work with them under certain conditions, including that they describe Hamas as a terrorist group that must be destroyed.
Several paths exist. Eisenkot and Netanyahu, whose Likud is the largest single party in parliament, could try to form a broad unity government with the major Jewish parties. But the two men differ sharply on issues that would be hard to bridge. Netanyahu relies on religious parties that demand draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, and he opposes a formal investigation into the failures surrounding the Oct. 7 attacks.
Eisenkot could instead try a minority government, propped up from outside by Arab parties that would not formally join his coalition. Yet other members of his own bloc have said they would reject such an arrangement.
Eisenkot's party, Yashar, answered Netanyahu's video with a statement on X. It urged Likud members to disavow their alliance with "radical parties," an apparent reference to the far-right parties in the prime minister's religious-nationalist base. The statement added that Eisenkot would include only parties and lawmakers who support its principles.
What to watch over the next six weeks is which route he chooses: a unity government, a minority government backed from outside by Arab parties, or no government at all.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Warned against hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters, referring to Arab-led parties.— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video statement
Urged Likud members to disavow their alliance with radical parties and said Eisenkot would include only those who support its principles.— Yashar party statement on X
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