Israel's former military chief Gadi Eisenkot began the difficult task of assembling a government on Sunday, appealing to allies of Benjamin Netanyahu while declaring that the veteran prime minister had led the country into a historic crisis.
Eisenkot, 66, who leads the Yashar party and has pledged to heal Israel's deep polarisation under Netanyahu, formally received the mandate from President Isaac Herzog. He now has 28 days to build a coalition, even though his bloc lacks a clear majority in parliament. Appearing at the presidential office in a suit and tie rather than his customary all black attire, he said the country was in a state of emergency and approaching a point of no return, adding that a national emergency government would require creative and unconventional political steps.
His path to the premiership is narrow. He can pursue a power-sharing arrangement with Netanyahu, seek backing from Arab-led parties, an option some members of his own bloc reject, or reach an agreement with ultra-Orthodox parties that demand continued military exemptions for their community.
Both Eisenkot and Herzog pointed to Israel's deepening international isolation under Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court. In the United States, Israel's closest ally, Democrats swept the midterm elections on Tuesday amid calls to rein in Israel following the devastation in Gaza and the unpopular Iran war that Netanyahu launched alongside Donald Trump. Eisenkot described the situation as a devastating diplomatic crisis, saying that even Israel's closest friends and strategic allies believe their relationship with the country must be reassessed.
Eisenkot invited Netanyahu's Likud party and the far-right party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him, but insisted he would serve as prime minister. "My door is open and my hand is extended, wholeheartedly and willingly, to anyone who understands the gravity of this moment," he said. Success would mean replacing Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving premier.
In the October elections, Eisenkot's broad opposition bloc won 48 of the Knesset's 120 seats, while Netanyahu's camp took 53, leaving neither side with a majority. During consultations with Herzog, Eisenkot secured the endorsements of both Arab-majority lists, which made unprecedented gains and could now serve as kingmakers. He has set conditions for any Arab party joining his coalition, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and designation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation. His partner, the conservative Yisrael Beiteinu party, has already ruled out sitting with Arab-led parties.
Eisenkot and his allies campaigned on equal military service, seeking to end the longstanding draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox. He has also promised to crack down on extremist West Bank settlers who attack Palestinians, condemning recent incidents as "Jewish terror" abetted by Netanyahu's government. He opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and has vowed to end Hamas's rule in Gaza and destroy the group's military wing.
Netanyahu has repeatedly alleged the election was stolen by Arab parties, which mobilised their supporters in large numbers, but has offered little to no evidence. He is expected to keep up pressure on Eisenkot, arguing that any alliance with Arab parties would be a betrayal. The Shin Bet security agency has opened an investigation into possible foreign interference in the vote, though the Central Elections Committee and Herzog maintain the result was valid and that any wrongdoing found would not have significantly affected it. Netanyahu proposed a national unity government on Saturday night, but it remains unclear whether the two rivals could agree on power sharing, a model that has historically proved fragile.
Eisenkot, who served as military chief of staff from 2015 to 2019, commanded the army during the 2006 war with Hezbollah and devised the so-called Dahiya doctrine, named after a Beirut suburb heavily damaged in that conflict, under which Israel vows to use massive force against civilian infrastructure in areas controlled by the Lebanese militant movement.
If Eisenkot fails to secure the 61 votes needed within 28 days, Herzog can grant a 14-day extension before offering the mandate to someone else. Should no one succeed, Israel will head to fresh elections, a familiar scenario for a country that held five elections between 2019 and 2022 amid repeated deadlocks.
