Israel's President Isaac Herzog has tasked former military chief Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country's next government, passing over incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Herzog informed Eisenkot of his decision on Saturday evening. He will formally hand him the mandate at a ceremony on Sunday at 5 p.m. local time, the president's spokesperson said.
The move follows consultations Herzog held with political parties after neither bloc secured a majority in the October 27 general election. Some 67 lawmakers endorsed Eisenkot to form the next government, while only 46 backed Netanyahu.
In the election, Eisenkot's four-party alliance won 48 seats, while Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc secured 53. Netanyahu's Likud party alone won 27 seats, six more than Eisenkot's Yashar party. Neither side reached the 61-seat threshold required for a parliamentary majority.
Arab-led parties, representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, won a record 19 seats and endorsed Eisenkot for the mandate, granting him a considerable margin in the presidential consultations.
Eisenkot will have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to build a coalition of at least 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats. He could also form a government with fewer than 61 seats if he wins a parliamentary confidence vote.
Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties, despite the fact that their support would give him a 67-seat bloc. Winning over the two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, would give him exactly 61 seats.
Eisenkot leads the centrist Yashar party, which he founded on an anti-corruption and government reform platform. He served as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2015 to 2019. He later joined Netanyahu's emergency war cabinet following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, but left the following year, accusing Netanyahu of failing to make progress toward ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of hostages. Eisenkot lost his son, Gal, a reservist killed in Gaza, as well as two nephews during the war.
Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the Joint List, a coalition of Arab-led parties holding 11 seats, said Herzog's decision was "expected." He added that Arab-led parties had been concerned the president might move toward a national unity government, referring to a proposed power-sharing arrangement between Eisenkot and Netanyahu.
Tibi said he believes Eisenkot is headed for a minority government "with external support from the Arab parties." While this would not be a "dream government" for Arab-led parties, Tibi said the priority was bringing down "the government of Netanyahu, [Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [Bezalel] Smotrich."
Hours before Herzog's announcement, Netanyahu warned that a government formed with support from Arab-led parties would lead to Israel's collapse. "Such a government, dependent on Islamists, will dismantle the state of Israel from within, as is happening in European countries, and far worse than that," Netanyahu said in a prerecorded video speech.
Tibi responded directly to Netanyahu's remarks. "Netanyahu is the biggest terrorist in Israel and the region, and the foremost supporter of terrorism, particularly Jewish terrorism in the West Bank and the Palestinian territories," he said.
If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted time, Herzog will nominate another candidate. If the second nominee also fails, a parliamentary majority can back a third candidate, who will be granted a final 14 days. Should no government be formed, a new election will be called within 90 days, with Netanyahu remaining as caretaker prime minister.
