Herzog Taps Eisenkot to Form Israeli Government

Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, announced Saturday that he is handing the government-formation mandate to Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the opposition, rather than to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The decision means Eisenkot gets the first attempt at stitching together a coalition following last week’s election, in which neither Netanyahu’s camp nor the parties opposing him won enough seats to control parliament outright.

Eisenkot, who previously served as chief of staff of the Israeli military, now works against a fixed deadline: he has 28 days to sign up enough partners to command a parliamentary majority. Should he manage it, the resulting government would remove Netanyahu from the prime minister’s office he has held for an extended period, according to The Hill.

Axios characterized Herzog’s choice as a significant blow to Netanyahu’s attempt to stay in power. The prime minister’s political fate is now tied to whether Eisenkot can close deals with potential partners before the clock runs out. The material does not indicate how Netanyahu or his allies reacted to the announcement, nor which parties Eisenkot is expected to approach first.

The context

The current standoff grew out of last week’s Israeli election, which produced a split parliament. Netanyahu’s bloc fell short of a majority, but so did the collection of parties arrayed against him, leaving the president to decide who would get the opening attempt at coalition-building, as BBC World reported. In Israel’s system, that mandate from the president starts a formal countdown — in this case 28 days — during which the designated politician negotiates with other factions to assemble a governing majority. Eisenkot comes to the task from a military background, having led the Israel Defense Forces as chief of staff before entering opposition politics. The material does not detail the final seat counts, the parties in each bloc, or what happens procedurally if Eisenkot’s window closes without an agreement.

Why it matters

If Eisenkot succeeds, Netanyahu’s long run as prime minister ends, and leadership of the United States’ closest ally in the Middle East changes hands. That shift would come at a moment when the conflict with Iran sits at the center of American foreign policy debates, so who governs in Jerusalem carries weight well beyond Israel’s borders. For Netanyahu, the stakes are direct: Herzog’s decision denies him the first shot at a coalition, and his hold on office now depends on his rival’s negotiations failing.

What’s next

Eisenkot’s 28-day coalition window is now open. The central question is whether he can gather enough parties to reach a parliamentary majority before the deadline. Key things to watch include which factions enter talks with him and whether Netanyahu’s bloc tries to pull potential partners away. The material does not say what procedural steps would follow if Eisenkot’s effort falls short.