Herzog Hands Netanyahu Rival Eisenkot First Shot at Forming Israel's Government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday tapped opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, to try to form the next government, handing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief rival the first chance after an inconclusive election.

The formal mandate is to be presented Sunday at 5 p.m. Israeli time. Eisenkot then has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension. Factions holding 67 of the Knesset's 120 seats recommended him Thursday, versus 46 for Netanyahu.

Those numbers overstate his position. Of the 67, 19 seats come from the Joint List and Ra'am, two Arab-led parties, and some of Eisenkot's potential partners have ruled out relying on them. In the Oct. 27 election, Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats and his wider bloc 53; the four-party alliance seeking to replace him won 48.

Eisenkot proposed a "National Emergency Government," calling Israel's situation a "genuine, tangible and dangerous national emergency." His principles include universal military, national or civilian service and recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization committed to dismantling its military and governing capabilities.

The sticking point is ultra-Orthodox conscription. Avigdor Lieberman signaled flexibility, with three conditions: end the Netanyahu era, avoid another election, and don't govern on the abstention of the Joint List and Ra'am. United Torah Judaism's Yaakov Asher said his party had received no concrete proposal, and Shas, with six seats, recommended Netanyahu. Even with UTJ, Eisenkot's bloc would fall short of 61.

Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister. He has challenged aspects of the results amid an investigation into suspected voting irregularities, though Israel's Central Elections Committee said the election's integrity was not compromised, according to Reuters.