Neither side secured a majority in the polls held in a country sharply divided following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and three years of conflict in Gaza and other parts of the region.During consultations with party delegations, 67 lawmakers backed Eisenkot for the post of Prime Minister, giving him majority support in the 120-member Parliament. Netanyahu received 46 recommendations, while the seven-member United Torah Judaism party did not back either candidate.Eisenkot's nomination is expected to be followed by weeks of negotiations.
He has 28 days to form a government, with the option to seek an additional 14 days.Eisenkot, a former military chief, has ruled out joining hands with Arab parties, whose backing could help him secure a parliamentary majority. However, Arab leaders, who oppose what they describe as the racist policies of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, still recommended Eisenkot as the first candidate to form a government.
This gave him the highest number of endorsements.Meanwhile, Netanyahu has been trying to prevent Eisenkot from forming an alliance with Arab-led parties. He has also made claims that Arab parties “stole” the election.
Shortly before Herzog's announcement, Netanyahu in a video message called for a “national unity government” and also cautioned against “hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters,” a phrase he uses for Arab-led parties.Eisenkot has several possible routes to forming a government. He could seek to lead a minority government with Arab parties supporting him on key votes, reach an agreement with ultra-Orthodox parties that he and his allies have previously avoided, or form a unity government with Netanyahu.If Eisenkot fails to form a government, another candidate will get an opportunity.
If that attempt also fails, Parliament can nominate another person. The entire process has a deadline of around 100 days.If no candidate manages to form a government, Israel will have to hold fresh elections.
The country went to the polls five times between 2019 and 2022 amid repeated political deadlocks.On Saturday night, Yashar said that “Likud and its friends” could join a coalition led by Eisenkot, but the party did not extend the offer to Netanyahu. Eisenkot has repeatedly said he would not enter a coalition with Netanyahu, The Times of Israel reported.Four opposition parties have also called for the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) to elect a new speaker during its first sitting on Tuesday (November 10).
Such a move could lead to the removal of incumbent speaker Amir Ohana of the Likud party. Ohana has said he will not allow a vote on the matter during the new Parliament's first session, but would schedule a debate on choosing his successor within the following week if a majority of lawmakers formally requested one.With inputs from agenciesDeep DiveFollow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times.
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