Gadi Eisenkot tasked with forming Israeli government amid coalition challenges
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Former army chief Gadi Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a coalition after receiving presidential backing, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains caretaker amid a fragmented Knesset.
Former army chief Gadi Eisenkot was given the mandate to form a government by the president after his bloc secured the support of 67 of the 120 Knesset members, compared with 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot’s four-party alliance won 48 seats in the recent election, while Netanyahu’s bloc obtained 53, leaving both sides short of a majority. He has 28 days to build a coalition, with a possible two-week extension.
Almost half of the newly sworn-in members are newcomers, and Arab-led parties achieved a record 19 seats, giving them potential balance-of-power influence. Netanyahu has ruled out partnering with Arab parties, and three parties in Eisenkot’s bloc have also opposed their inclusion.
Speaking at the president’s residence, the leader of the centrist Yashar party called for a “national emergency government,” urging parties to set aside ideological differences to remove Netanyahu from office. Eisenkot outlined four principles for any coalition partner: recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; adherence to the values of the Declaration of Independence; support for mandatory military, national or civilian service for all citizens; and recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization with a commitment to dismantle its capabilities.
The issue of conscripting ultra-Orthodox men, who are currently exempt for full-time religious study, remains contentious. The United Torah Judaism and Shas parties, which together hold 13 seats, have strongly opposed changes to this status quo, a stance shared by all parties in Eisenkot’s bloc.
The Arab parties’ positions also clash with Eisenkot’s principles, as they emphasize equal national and civic rights for Arab citizens and have not formally designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. Nevertheless, the United Arab List, with eight seats, expressed willingness to join an Eisenkot-led coalition, while the Joint List, holding 11 seats, offered external parliamentary support.
If Eisenkot were to accept such an arrangement, he would still need to secure agreement from other bloc members. Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu party won seven seats, has so far declined to join a minority government reliant on Arab MKs. Ultra-Orthodox parties would likely seek major concessions on military conscription, which could be unacceptable to many bloc partners.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, reiterated in a video his call for a national unity government that he would lead as prime minister.