67 Recommendations Do Not Guarantee a Government: Eisenkot Faces 'Consensus Test'

Yesh Atid party leader Gadi Eisenkot now faces "the most important test" after Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked him with forming the new government.

Despite receiving 67 recommendations for government formation, this remains merely a "step" that opens the door to complex political negotiations aimed at removing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ensuring the establishment of a coalition with a parliamentary majority.

The Israeli President is scheduled to receive Eisenkot on Sunday to officially task him, marking the start of a 28-day period to form a government approved by the Knesset with a majority, with the possibility of an additional extension of up to 14 days from President Herzog.

Thus, the mandate does not guarantee his premiership. If both periods end without him overcoming the disagreements within the anti-Netanyahu camp, the current government will continue as a caretaker administration, while another figure will be tasked with forming a new government.

According to the Israeli President's statement, blocs representing 67 MKs recommended Eisenkot, compared to blocs comprising 46 MKs who recommended Netanyahu, while a bloc of 7 members did not recommend either.

The Dilemma

Netanyahu's camp holds 53 seats, versus 48 for Eisenkot's camp, while Arab parties secured 19 seats, bringing the total number of anti-Netanyahu seats to 67, which are the ones recommending Eisenkot.

However, there are political differences between Eisenkot's camp and the Arab parties, as significant parties in his camp reject the participation of Arab parties. This may force him to rely on a minority government supported by Arab parties in parliament without including them in the cabinet, if both sides accept this formula.

Therefore, Eisenkot's dilemma lies in uniting "Netanyahu's opponents" into one camp and managing the fundamental political differences among the components of this camp to ensure their continued support in the Knesset.

Emergency Government

In his first comment following the announcement of the mandate decision, Eisenkot said on the platform "X": "The time has come to establish a national emergency government."

Gadi Eisenkot pledged to do everything in his power to be "up to the responsibility."

Trump's Message

Eisenkot's mandate coincides with a message conveyed by individuals close to US President Donald Trump to figures close to Eisenkot, urging him to expedite the formation of the new government to replace Netanyahu, according to Israel's Channel 12.

The Hebrew channel reported, citing unnamed informed sources, that the message came from Trump's associates rather than directly from the President, reaching Eisenkot's inner circle.

Who is Gadi Eisenkot?

Gadi Eisenkot was born in Tiberias, northern Israel, in 1960, to a Jewish family of Moroccan origin. He joined the Israeli army in 1978 and began his military career, advancing through several leadership positions.

In 1997, he took command of the "Givati" Brigade, one of the infantry brigades in the Israeli army, before being promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 1999 and appointed as the military secretary to the then-Israeli Prime Minister.

In 2003, he assumed command of Israeli forces in the West Bank region, then was promoted to Major General in 2005 and assigned to lead the Operations Division of the army. A year later, he was appointed commander of the Northern Command.

At the end of 2014, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the selection of Eisenkot as Chief of Staff of the Army, a position he assumed in 2015, succeeding Benny Gantz.