Jerusalem, November 8 (TNA) Israeli President Isaac Herzog has chosen opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to attempt to form the country’s next government after a closely contested election produced no clear parliamentary majority. Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff and leader of the centrist Yashar party, is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s principal political rival.
The October 27 election left Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc with a projected 53 seats and Eisenkot’s opposition bloc with 48 in the 120-member Knesset—both below the 61 seats required to form a government. Netanyahu’s Likud won 27 seats, six more than Eisenkot’s Yashar party, but neither leader secured a governing majority.
Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension. His challenge will be to unite centrist, opposition and Arab lawmakers whose political priorities differ sharply, while persuading smaller parties to support a government capable of surviving parliamentary votes.
The former military chief entered politics in 2022 and served in Israel’s war cabinet during the first year of the Israel-Hamas war. He has campaigned on restoring national unity after years of political polarisation and Netanyahu’s long tenure in power.
The mandate does not make Eisenkot prime minister. He must first negotiate a coalition commanding the confidence of at least 61 lawmakers; if he fails, Herzog could give another candidate the opportunity or Israel could face further political uncertainty.