Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the opportunity to form a coalition government, marking a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Herzog announced the news on Saturday, saying Eisenkot will have 28 days to establish a new government in Israel. The clock starts at 5 p.m. Sunday local time. Herzog may grant Eisenkot an additional 14 days to fulfill his task if necessary.
The Israeli president said he informed Eisenkot and Netanyahu of his decision after he held talks with figures across the nation’s political spectrum, including the two political rivals.
The move comes over one week after Netanyahu’s Likud party lost its majority in Israel’s parliament. His bloc won 53 of 120 seats in the Knesset, followed by Eisenkot’s bloc securing 48 seats and the two Arab parties winning the remaining 19 seats.
During consultations this week, 67 incoming members of the Knesset recommended Eisenkot to form the new government while 46 recommended Netanyahu. The remaining seven members, part of the United Torah Judaism political alliance, declined to recommend Netanyahu and signaled they could join an Eisenkot-led coalition.
Eisenkot has not decided to join forces with the Arabs, even though doing so would give him a majority of seats in the Knesset. The opposition leader and former military chief must decide how to form the new government before he can replace Netanyahu as prime minister.
ISRAEL’S ARAB PARTIES CHOOSE BETWEEN ‘BAD AND EVEN WORSE’ AS THEY BACK GADI EISENKOT OVER NETANYAHU TO FORM GOVERNMENT
Netanyahu has not directly responded to Herzog’s decision on social media. But in his latest X post, Netanyahu continued spreading allegations that the Arab parties “want to eliminate” Israel and warned that Eisenkot may “hastily swear in a government, already next week, with terrorism supporters.”
Eisenkot will formally receive the mandate to form a coalition government during a ceremony at Herzog’s presidential residence on Sunday.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
