Tel Aviv: In what could mark the beginning of the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s long political career, Israeli president Isaac Herzog has officially tasked former military chief and prominent opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country’s next government.
Herzog took this decision after weeks of coalition deadlock following the recent elections. Netanyahu was passed over after he failed to secure a workable majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
While Netanyahu managed more seats, though not a majority, Eisenkot received more recommendations during a meeting before the president.
The president signalled a willingness to move past years of political instability and deep institutional polarisation by handing the mandate to Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, who broke away to lead a centrist-nationalist coalition.
A respected general who oversaw major defence operations, Eisenkot entered mainstream politics emphasising national unity, judicial stability, and security reform. Eisenkot’s rise to the centre of Israeli politics marks a sharp departure from traditional party lines.
His coalition platform successfully rallied moderate conservative voters, secular centrists, and key regional leaders dissatisfied with Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
Eisenkot now has 28 days to negotiate with potential coalition partners to assemble a stable parliamentary majority of at least 61 seats, under Israeli law.
However, receiving the presidential nod is not enough. Eisenkot faces a complex array of political obstacles. Negotiating a coalition agreement will require balancing the demands of secular centrist parties alongside right-wing nationalist factions that previously aligned with the opposition.
Central to the upcoming talks will be consensus on economic recovery, military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox communities, and the nation’s ongoing regional security policy. Party insiders indicate that preliminary discussions are already underway to secure support from key swing factions before formal negotiations begin, as reported by News18.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has been served a significant blow due to this mandate. The legal challenges faced by him and his polarising governance style have increasingly fractured the country’s political landscape. His party has issued a sharp reaction, warning that a government led by his rivals would prove unstable and short-lived.
The political manoeuvring in Jerusalem will determine whether Eisenkot can successfully forge a stable governing consensus or if the country faces the prospect of yet another snap election as the 28-day countdown begins.