Tafadzwa Nyikadzino

Israel’s president on Saturday chose Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strongest rival, to try to form a new government following a deadlocked election that left neither man with a clear path to power.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is fighting to stay in office after his religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in an October 27 election but still emerged as the largest bloc in parliament.

“President Herzog has invited Gadi Eisenkot to the President’s Residence, where he will be tasked with forming the government tomorrow,” said the spokesperson of President Isaac Herzog, whose largely ceremonial role involves nominating a candidate to form a coalition after elections.

In a post on X, Eisenkot wrote, “Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything I can to ensure we are worthy.”

Eisenkot, a former military chief, has declined to join forces with Arab parties, whose support would give him a majority of seats in parliament. But Arab leaders, incensed by what they view as the racist policies of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, still nominated Eisenkot to try to form a government first – giving him the most endorsements.

Likud won the most seats of any single party with 27 in the 120-seat Knesset, but Netanyahu’s wider religious-nationalist coalition garnered only 53 in total, short of a 61-seat majority.

Eisenkot’s Yashar party emerged as the second-largest party with 21 seats, while his coalition, spanning four centre-left to right-wing Jewish-led parties, won just 48 seats. Two parties representing Israel’s Arab minority won an unprecedented 19 seats.

Weeks of protracted negotiations are expected to follow Eisenkot’s nomination. He has 28 days to try to forge a government, with a possible 14-day extension.

His potential pathways to power include trying to form a minority government with Arab party votes on key issues; forming a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties that he and his allies have shunned in the past; or forging a unity government with Netanyahu.

Analysts say that all three options are unlikely to take shape. If Eisenkot fails, another candidate can try to form a government and if that candidate fails, parliament can nominate another. There is a deadline for the process of around 100 days. If no one succeeds, another election is held.

A son of Moroccan immigrants, Eisenkot, 66, would be the country’s first prime minister from Israel’s Mizrahi community, Jews who trace their roots to the Middle East and North Africa.

Reserved and media-shy, Eisenkot only entered politics in 2022. He briefly served in Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel before returning to the opposition.

Eisenkot has criticised settler violence against Palestinians, which has surged since 2023, and he opposes Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.