Israeli President Herzog to Choose Coalition Builder Amid Stalemate

President Isaac Herzog announced that he will task a Knesset member with forming Israel's next government on Sunday, as the October 27 election produced no clear majority. While former army chief Gadi Eisenkot secured endorsements from 67 of the 120 lawmakers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received backing from 46 members. Herzog said the distribution of endorsements does not guarantee a viable coalition because of "mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves."

Eisenkot's bloc, which includes four Jewish-led parties, holds 48 seats, and he has the backing of Arab-led parties that together hold 19 seats, bringing his total to 67. However, Eisenkot has ruled out incorporating the Arab parties into a governing coalition, a stance that would require him to win the support of the ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas to reach the 61-seat threshold. United Torah Judaism has indicated willingness to back Eisenkot for appropriate concessions, while Shas has endorsed Netanyahu.

Netanyahu's right-wing and religious alliance controls 53 seats and would need to attract an opposition party or pursue a unity arrangement with Eisenkot, possibly involving a rotating premiership, to achieve a majority. Both Arab parties – the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra’am) – have endorsed Eisenkot but have been told by Herzog that they would only join a government if they meet conditions such as recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization. Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas expressed support for disarming Hamas but stopped short of labeling it a terrorist group.

If the appointed candidate fails to assemble a coalition within 28 days, the president can grant an additional 14 days, after which a second nominee will be selected. A third attempt may follow, and if all fail, the Knesset will be dissolved and a new election called within 90 days, leaving Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister.

"Rejecting a partnership would prove Israel is an ethnocracy, not an absolute democracy for all citizens," senior Joint List member Ahmad Tibi told the Associated Press.

Analyst Nehru Jamhour warned that the protracted deadlock could favor Netanyahu, who may hope a repeat election would weaken his rivals and depress turnout among Palestinian citizens.