Netanyahu’s rival tasked with forming a government

 

Isak Lundholm Larsson

Published 14:38

Benjamin Netanyahu’s primary rival is set to form a government in Israel.

The task has been assigned to Gadi Eisenkot.

However, divisions between the parties could derail his plans.

Gadi Eisenkot, 66, has been tasked by Israeli President Isaac Herzog with forming a government, reports CNN. This follows a majority in the newly elected Knesset—Israel’s parliament—throwing their support behind the former military chief.

Eisenkot reportedly has the backing of 67 members, 19 of whom belong to the two Arab parties. Meanwhile, his rival, Benjamin Netanyahu, has secured the support of 46 of the Knesset’s 120 members.

Aiming to form an “emergency government”

According to CNN, Eisenkot intends to form an “emergency government” as a minority administration. The government is expected to consist of the four Jewish opposition parties, which together hold 48 seats.

Eisenkot has six weeks to form a government and has set four conditions for the parties involved—one of which is the recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization. According to CNN, this condition effectively rules out the Arab parties joining the government directly, though they could potentially provide support from the outside.

Meanwhile, Avigdor Liberman—leader of the secular right-wing party Yisrael Beiteinu, which is expected to join the coalition—has also ruled out the inclusion of the Arab parties, arguing that a minority government would ultimately benefit Netanyahu in the long run. 

“From there, the path to ruin is not long”

“Then Netanyahu will return with 70 seats and get to govern for another four years. And from there, the path to ruin is not long,” writes Avigdor Liberman on X.

Netanyahu has questioned the election results, claiming that the Arab parties “stole the election” through bribery and foreign funding. The election committee has found no evidence that any such thing occurred. However, an investigation by Israel’s security service is still ongoing.