Herzog chooses Eisenkot to try to form Israel’s government

Whether Eisenkot can form a government turns on whether lawmakers who recommended him will supply enough governing votes without the Arab-led parties he has ruled out. Al Jazeera reported that he had ruled out forming a government with those parties, whose seats would give him a larger bloc.

France 24 reported on Saturday that Isaac Herzog picked Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief, to try to form a government. It said Eisenkot’s Yashar party emerged as the second-largest, while his coalition held fewer seats than a government needs. His selection gives him a chance to seek partners; it does not establish that he has found them.

Herzog’s office said it had informed Eisenkot, the Yashar leader, of his intention to task him with forming a government. That intention says nothing about whether other parties will join him.

Al Jazeera reported that Eisenkot will have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to build the coalition. Time is therefore part of the pressure. Every party that waits can raise its price, and every party that moves early can be blamed for the shape of the next government.

Reuters reported on Nov. 7 that the election was deadlocked and neither Eisenkot nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a clear path to power. Eisenkot’s opportunity to try to form a government leaves that question open.

TRT reported that Herzog tasked former army chief and Yashar leader Eisenkot with forming the next government, passing over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after weeks of consultations. Eisenkot can now seek a coalition, but he still needs the votes to govern.

France 24 listed three possible paths for Eisenkot: a minority government with Arab support from outside, a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties that he and his allies have shunned, or a unity government with Netanyahu. Each path solves one problem by creating another. Outside support tests the bloc. Ultra-Orthodox partners test past red lines. Unity tests whether Netanyahu can be brought inside the bargain rather than left outside it.

Support From the Outside

A simpler reading gives Herzog’s decision more finality. Al Jazeera reported before the decision that a majority of lawmakers had backed opposition leader Eisenkot over Netanyahu, and the president’s office confirmed Eisenkot had more recommendations than Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious alliance. On that evidence, Herzog did not invent momentum. He followed it.

Al Jazeera reported that Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming the next government, passing over Netanyahu. The task gives Eisenkot a chance to seek a governing coalition, not evidence that one has agreed to serve.

The report on Eisenkot’s bloc said it remained unclear whether the bloc would accept support from Arab lists. Al Jazeera reported separately that Eisenkot had ruled out forming a government with Arab-led parties. His recommendations therefore leave open which parties would supply the votes to govern.

On Friday Eisenkot called for an emergency government and did not rule out a minority government. That gives him room to talk without conceding the result. It also shows why the next bargaining move is more important than the formal ceremony: a minority government can be an option, a threat or a bridge to other partners.

A person exposed to Israel through work, family or savings has been given a deadline, not a settled policy direction. Al Jazeera reported that Eisenkot has a limited period to build a coalition. That suggests delay is the immediate risk; the policy direction depends on the partners he secures.

An institution with Israel exposure faces the same sequence in a colder form: event risk now, counterparty and policy risk after the partner list is visible. If Eisenkot can govern without reversing his stance on Arab-led parties, the mandate looks durable. If he needs outside support he ruled out, or a unity arrangement with Netanyahu, the price of office rises before the government begins.

The next public count to watch is whether Eisenkot can show a coalition at the minimum threshold, and which names make that possible. Yashar can try to hold its bloc together, test Arab support from outside, reopen ultra-Orthodox talks or move toward unity with Netanyahu. Those are not variations on the same outcome. They distribute the cost to different partners.

Reuters reported on Nov. 7 that neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu had a clear path to power. Eisenkot’s next task is to find enough governing votes without forming a government with the Arab-led parties he has ruled out.