Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday asked former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to try to form a government after an election left neither Eisenkot nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a clear path to power.
Herzog's spokesperson said Eisenkot had been invited to the President's Residence and would be tasked with forming the government. Eisenkot has 28 days to forge a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension.
Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in the October 27 election, though his Likud party emerged as the largest single party with 27 seats in the 120-member Knesset. His wider coalition won 53 seats, short of the 61 required for a majority.
Eisenkot's Yashar party won 21 seats, while his four-party coalition secured 48 seats. Two parties representing Israel's Arab minority won an unprecedented 19 seats.
Arab leaders nominated Eisenkot, giving him the highest number of endorsements, despite his refusal to join forces with Arab parties. He could try to form a minority government with their outside support, which would give him a parliamentary majority. His other options include a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties or a unity government with Netanyahu.
Analysts said all the options appeared unlikely. If Eisenkot fails, another candidate can be asked to form a government. The process has a deadline of around 100 days, after which another election will be held if no government is formed.
Eisenkot, 66, has said he will not serve in a government with Netanyahu. He entered politics in 2022 and briefly served in Netanyahu's wartime cabinet after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel before returning to the opposition.
