67 lawmakers recommend Eisenkot to form government; Herzog to formally task him the next day
Key Facts
Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on November 7 that he had chosen Gadi Eisenkot to try to form a new government, with the formal mandate to be handed to him the following day, after the election gave no side a clear path to power, according to Reuters. The decision followed consultations with Knesset factions, during which representatives of blocs comprising 67 lawmakers recommended Eisenkot, compared with 46 lawmakers who recommended Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Israeli presidency. But the recommendation tallies did not legally determine the decision; Herzog said it was up to him to decide who could form a government, amid mutual vetoes between and within the blocs. The opposition leader thus secured the first attempt, while the formal mandate had not yet been delivered when the choice was announced. The move opens coalition negotiations without guaranteeing a majority or ending Netanyahu’s tenure.
The parliamentary results show the difficulty of the task: Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, the main opposition bloc 48, while Arab parties secured 19 seats, according to the Associated Press. Forming a coalition requires 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, leaving Eisenkot facing a gap his bloc cannot close alone. Among individual parties, Likud topped the official results with 27 seats, compared with 21 for Eisenkot’s Yashar party, according to the Knesset results. These figures illustrate the difference between Likud winning the most seats and Netanyahu’s camp holding a parliamentary majority. The path therefore depends on reaching agreements with forces outside the main opposition bloc.
Options under consideration include a minority government relying on Arab parties’ votes on specific issues, a coalition with Haredi parties, or a unity government with Netanyahu, according to Reuters, which described all three options as unlikely. Eisenkot rejected joining the Arab parties, even though their seats could give his camp a numerical majority, making the form of their support a key point in negotiations. The Washington Post also reported that Avigdor Lieberman opposed bringing Arab parties into the government, but signaled during the week that he was open to a government backed by Haredi parties. That adds a possible path for negotiations, while agreement on the terms of participation remains to be tested. The Associated Press said that securing a majority remained fraught with difficulty and that any potential coalition would require hard concessions that could anger voters in the participating parties.
Herzog’s announcement followed Netanyahu’s call for a national unity government, according to the Associated Press, which also reported that he warned against “installing a government in haste, backed by supporters of terrorism.” Eisenkot, meanwhile, left open the possibility of a unity government with Likud, but said it would have to be led by him, according to the Washington Post. That puts the unity option at odds over who would lead the government, in addition to the dispute over Arab parties’ participation. After receiving the mandate, Eisenkot said, “This is the time to establish a national emergency government,” adding that he “will do everything in my power to prove their worth.” The call comes amid divergent negotiating paths, each with constraints on which parties can participate in or support it.
Eisenkot has 28 days to try to form a government, with the possibility of a 14-day extension, according to Reuters. The deadline provides a timeframe for negotiations over the parliamentary support needed to reach 61 seats, while the prospect of an agreement remains uncertain. If Eisenkot fails, Herzog is likely to give Netanyahu the next attempt, according to the Washington Post. Israel could head to a new election if no leader can secure 61 seats, the newspaper reported. On that basis, the next step in the government-formation process will be the outcome of negotiations over support and coalition arrangements.
Coalition negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of earlier warnings about the financial risks of political deadlock. On November 1, an earlier EL7 report said Fitch had affirmed Israel’s rating at A with a negative outlook, after Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats. This provides prior context for the rating’s sensitivity to a continued political impasse, but does not represent a new reaction to Eisenkot’s selection. At the parliamentary level, Knesset members are scheduled to be sworn in on November 10, according to the Associated Press. The date coincides with the start of the process that will test Eisenkot’s ability to turn the presidential recommendations into sufficient support to form a government.