Israel's president tasks opposition leader Eisenkot with forming government

Israel's president Isaac Herzog announced that he will ask opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to build a new coalition government, after last week's election left the Knesset without a clear majority. The president said the move follows talks with parties from both blocs, as neither Eisenkot's centrist bloc nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud coalition secured enough seats.

Netanyahu's Likud party together with its far‑right and ultra‑Orthodox partners captured 53 of the 120 seats, while Eisenkot's Yashar party and three allied Jewish opposition groups obtained 48 seats. Two Arab‑led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, together won an unprecedented 19 seats, positioning them as potential kingmakers. However, all but one of the Jewish parties had pledged before the vote not to join a government with the Arab blocs.

Eisenkot, a former military chief, wrote on X: "Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy." He said the country needed a swift and united response.

The president gave Eisenkot a period of 28 days to negotiate a coalition, with the possibility of a further 14‑day extension. Herzog told reporters that after consulting all parties during the week he would grant Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a cabinet. A statement from the president's office added that both Eisenkot and Netanyahu had been notified of the decision.

According to the statement, delegations from the incoming Knesset members presented Eisenkot with 67 recommendations for the premiership, compared with 46 for Netanyahu. Herzog retains wide latitude to select the person he believes has the best chance of assembling a governing coalition, and is not required to choose the leader of the largest party.