Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country’s next government, amid deep political divisions, after he secured the backing of 67 members of the Knesset.
Herzog invited Eisenkot to the presidential residence at 5 p.m. on Sunday for the official ceremony in which he will be formally tasked with forming the next government.
Under Israel’s Basic Law, Eisenkot will have 28 days from the date of his official appointment to form a government. The president may grant him an additional extension of up to 14 days if the coalition-building process requires more time.
According to a statement from Herzog’s office, the president held extensive consultations with various political parties in recent days, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot before informing them of his decision.
67 Knesset Members Back Eisenkot, Compared with 46 for Netanyahu
Eisenkot received the mandate after 67 Knesset members recommended that he be tasked with forming the next government, compared with 46 who supported Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, the United Torah Judaism party, which holds seven seats in the Knesset, chose not to recommend either candidate.
In a notable development, individuals close to U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly approached associates of Eisenkot, urging them to work toward forming a new government and replacing Netanyahu immediately, according to Israeli media reports published Saturday evening.
The American officials also reportedly urged Eisenkot to have the new government sworn in and move quickly to replace Netanyahu.
Netanyahu Calls for National Unity Government and Warns Against Reliance on Arab Parties
In a speech delivered Saturday evening, Netanyahu called for the formation of a “national unity government comprising all Zionist parties,” warning against establishing a government that relies on Arab parties.
Netanyahu accused Eisenkot of seeking to form a government next week with the participation of groups he described as supporters of terrorism, claiming that they seek to destroy the State of Israel and establish a Palestinian state.
Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Undermining Unity Governments
Eisenkot responded to Netanyahu’s remarks by accusing him of undermining national unity and emergency governments from within and failing to honor agreements with his political partners.
He pointed out that Netanyahu formed the government following the October 7 attacks with the participation of Itamar Ben-Gvir, appointing him to a senior ministerial position despite previous commitments to the contrary.
Eisenkot called on the Likud party and its members to announce an end to their alliance with extremist factions, accept the four principles he had proposed, and demonstrate their willingness to join a government led by him if they genuinely seek to establish a broad national unity administration.
Eisenkot described Netanyahu’s call for unity, without taking these steps, as nothing more than a “desperate media maneuver.”
