Government Formation Process
This process is largely procedural. The President selects the candidate. Eisenkot was invited to the Presidential Residence. He was tasked with starting government negotiations the next day. Political Landscape Netanyahu faces challenges maintaining his long tenure. His religious and nationalist coalition lacked the necessary majority on October 27. Likud secured the largest bloc overall. Opposition Dynamics Netanyahu's rivals, led by Eisenkot, could not gain Arab party support. Arab leaders criticized Netanyahu's perceived racist policies. They still suggested Eisenkot during talks with the President. Elections Results Eisenkot leads the Yashar party. Yashar achieved the second-largest representation in the Knesset with 21 seats. Likud won 27 seats individually. However, its religious-nationalist alliance totaled only 53. The required majority was 61. Eisenkot's coalition had 48 seats. Two Arab minority parties secured an unprecedented 19 seats. Future Outlook Negotiations are expected to be lengthy. Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government.
This period can be extended by 14 days
This period can be extended by 14 days. Potential Scenarios Options include a minority government with Arab support. Another path is an alliance with ultra-Orthodox parties. A third option is a unity government with Netanyahu. Analyst Skepticism and Timeline Analysts doubt these three options are likely. If Eisenkot fails, another candidate may try. A final deadline of about 100 days exists. Failure leads to new elections. Eisenkot's Background Eisenkot is 66 years old. He is the son of Moroccan immigrants. He would be the first Mizrahi Prime Minister in Israel. He entered politics in 2022. This presents a new cultural context for Israeli politics.