Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally asked opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot on Sunday evening to try to form the next government. The ceremony took place at the presidential residence in Jerusalem.
The move is a significant step in Eisenkot’s effort to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. It does not guarantee Eisenkot will get the job. He has up to six weeks to assemble a coalition, and the Oct. 27 election left neither his bloc nor Netanyahu’s with a clear majority in the Knesset.
The hardest decisions involve the Arab-led parties, which made historic gains thanks to high turnout among Israel’s Arab citizens. Ra’am has said it will back Eisenkot but lacks enough seats on its own. The Joint List has offered to support him from outside the coalition. Eisenkot’s more conservative partner, Yisrael Beytenu, has ruled out joining any government with Arab-led parties.
Eisenkot’s other options include a power-sharing deal with Netanyahu or an agreement with ultra-Orthodox parties, which want to keep military exemptions for their communities. Eisenkot has set four conditions for prospective partners, including recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.
Eisenkot has 28 days to form a coalition, with a possible two-week extension. If he fails, Netanyahu could get a chance. If neither can, the country would return to the polls early next spring. New members of the Knesset are sworn in Tuesday evening, and Netanyahu’s government remains in a caretaker role until a new coalition is in place.
