Israeli President Taps Gadi Eisenkot to Form Next Government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has selected Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the centre-right Yashar party, to receive the first opportunity to assemble a new coalition government following the country's national election. The decision comes after President Herzog conducted consultations with representatives from every party that secured seats in the incoming Knesset.

A majority of party representatives endorsed Eisenkot, a former military chief and the primary rival of Benjamin Netanyahu, during the presidential consultations. Despite receiving the most recommendations, Eisenkot's path to a coalition remains complex. Herzog had paused over the weekend to evaluate the political landscape due to strong rivalries and reluctance among several parties to collaborate.

Coalition Challenges and Knesset Dynamics

Central to the ongoing coalition negotiations is the role of Arab-Israeli parties, also referred to as Palestinian-Israeli parties, which hold a record 19 seats in the upcoming Knesset. Netanyahu's Likud party and other right-wing factions have contested their success, alleging foreign interference and claiming the election result was compromised.

If Eisenkot chooses not to partner with the Arab-Israeli parties—comprising the Joint List and the United Arab List—he will need to secure support from ultra-Orthodox parties that were previously aligned with Netanyahu's coalition.

President Herzog is scheduled to formally issue the mandate to Eisenkot at his official residence at 5:00 p.m. local time on Sunday (2:00 a.m. AEDT). Under Israeli procedure, Eisenkot will have an initial window of 28 days to negotiate and successfully form a coalition government.