Eisenkot tapped to form Israeli government, ending Netanyahu’s mandate
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has asked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a government after he secured backing from 67 lawmakers, leaving Benjamin Netanyahu without the mandate to lead the next coalition. The move could bring a former army chief to the premiership and reshape Israel’s war policy, regional diplomacy, and relations with Washington.
Israel’s political map tilted on Saturday when President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief turned opposition leader, with forming the country’s next government, displacing Benjamin Netanyahu from the driver’s seat after years of dominance.
Herzog’s decision followed consultations with parliamentary factions after the latest election. Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar! party and head of an opposition bloc, secured recommendations from 67 members of the Knesset, compared with 46 who backed Netanyahu. That margin was enough for Herzog to grant Eisenkot the first shot at assembling a coalition, according to multiple reports from Israeli and international outlets.
Under Israeli law, Eisenkot now has 28 days to negotiate a governing majority, with the option of a 14‑day extension at the president’s discretion. Commentators close to the opposition say that if talks succeed, Israel could wake up on 6 or 20 December with a cabinet that does not include Netanyahu as prime minister for the first time in years. Netanyahu’s allies argue that coalition arithmetic remains complex and that he could yet return if Eisenkot fails.
For Israelis, the stakes reach far beyond personalities. Eisenkot is a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff who has built his political brand around calls for a "national emergency government" to navigate war and diplomatic isolation. His rise reflects a bloc of voters and lawmakers who blame Netanyahu for strategic drift, deep polarization at home and growing friction with traditional allies, especially in Washington and European capitals.
Any Eisenkot‑led government would inherit ongoing security challenges, including confrontation with Iran and its regional allies, unrest in the occupied territories, and questions about military readiness. A former general at the helm could mean closer alignment between political directives and the assessments of the security establishment, particularly on issues such as rules of engagement, force structure and long‑term planning.
Strategically, a shift away from Netanyahu could reset parts of Israel’s foreign policy. Netanyahu’s tenure saw intense alignment with segments of U.S. politics, particularly the Republican Party, as well as normalization agreements with several Arab states. It also brought unprecedented tension with some Democrats and unease in Europe over settlement expansion and judicial reforms. Eisenkot’s government, if formed, would face immediate tests: managing ties with a U.S. administration that is itself recalibrating its Middle East posture, and preserving the gains of regional normalization while addressing domestic divisions.
Netanyahu’s loss of the initial mandate does not by itself settle Israel’s direction, but it punctures an aura of inevitability around his leadership. For supporters who saw him as a guarantor of security and global clout, the transition will feel risky. For opponents, it opens a narrow window to change course on issues from civil‑military relations to the balance between security imperatives and democratic norms.
In parliamentary systems, power shifts through coalition arithmetic rather than dramatic presidential handovers, yet their strategic impact can be just as sharp. A new prime minister with a general’s background may handle war decisions differently, speak in another register to Washington, and weigh domestic protest movements in ways Netanyahu did not.
The key markers to watch in the coming weeks are which parties Eisenkot can bring into his coalition, whether he seeks a broad unity government that includes some of Netanyahu’s former partners, and how he defines his priorities on Iran, relations with the Palestinians, and judicial reforms in his initial policy statements. If he fails to form a government, attention will swing back to Herzog and the possibility that Netanyahu or another figure is handed a second chance, keeping Israel’s strategic course in flux.
Sources
- OSINT