What happened
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a new coalition government. The announcement came after consultations with political figures across the spectrum, including Eisenkot and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Eisenkot has 28 days to establish a government, with the period beginning at 5 p.m. local time on Sunday. Herzog may grant an additional 14 days if needed.
The move follows Netanyahu’s Likud party losing its majority in the Knesset. The bloc won 53 of 120 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc secured 48 seats and two Arab parties won the remaining 19.
During consultations, 67 incoming Knesset members recommended Eisenkot to form the government, compared with 46 for Netanyahu. Seven members of the United Torah Judaism alliance did not recommend Netanyahu and indicated they could join an Eisenkot-led coalition.
Eisenkot has not decided whether to partner with the Arab parties, which would give him a majority. He must finalize his coalition arrangements before he can replace Netanyahu as prime minister.
A formal ceremony to hand Eisenkot the mandate is scheduled for Sunday at Herzog’s presidential residence. Netanyahu has not directly responded to the decision on social media, though his latest post warned that Eisenkot might quickly swear in a government with what he described as terrorism supporters.
