Eisenkot Gets Mandate To Form Israel Government, Netanyahu Fights For Survival
Eisenkot is a formerIsrael Defense Forces(IDF) chief of staff who went into politics in 2022. He became Netanyahu's main rival in this election, running a campaign that pulled in parties from the centre-left to the right.
President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday that he would task Gadi Eisenkot with forming Israel's next government following the October 27 election. In the election, neither side secured a majority in a country described as deeply polarised and worn down by three years of war. Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff who entered politics in 2022, was recommended by parties representing 67 lawmakers, while Netanyahu’s bloc received recommendations from 46.
The opposition bloc led by Eisenkot has opened the possibility of an alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jews to reach the numbers needed for a coalition. According to Malay Mail, these recommendations for Eisenkot also include members of Israel’s Arab minority and right-leaning segments of the opposition. Eisenkot stated on his X account that he will do anything possible to establish a national emergency government.
The formal appointment is scheduled for a ceremony on Sunday at the president's residence in Jerusalem. The Korea Times reports that Eisenkot has up to six weeks to form a coalition, a task occurring as the country reels from the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and subsequent wars.
Brief written by urgent.news from NDTV, Channel News Asia, Malay Mail, The Korea Times, Japan Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
