Gadi Eisenkot Gets Six Weeks to Build Israel's Next Government

Israel's October election left the country without a clear leader, according to The Independent. The inconclusive result has opened a route to government for Gadi Eisenkot, but has not settled who can assemble a workable coalition.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally gave Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government on Sunday evening, France 24 reported. Eisenkot has six weeks to put together a coalition that could replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The mandate is an opportunity to negotiate, not a guarantee of power.

On November 8, Eisenkot called for a national emergency government, according to RTE.ie. His appeal framed the coalition effort around a broader government rather than simply replacing its leader.

Herzog's Sunday evening decision put Eisenkot in charge of that effort. Reporting on November 9, NPR described the appointment as the next step after an election that left Israel's leadership in limbo.

The parliamentary gap quickly became the central obstacle. On November 9, NDTV reported that the opposition held 48 seats against Netanyahu's 53-seat bloc. It also reported that Eisenkot had no experience conducting coalition negotiations.

Potential partners bring competing demands. The Washington Post reported on November 9 that a deal with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties would probably require Eisenkot to backtrack on pledges to enforce universal military conscription.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, signalled that he remained part of the bargaining. On November 9, Times Now reported that he was willing to explore a unity government bringing together Zionist and Haredi parties under his leadership.

Eisenkot holds the mandate, but the coverage does not report a completed coalition agreement. His immediate problem is expanding the opposition's support while finding terms that prospective partners can accept.

The conscription issue exposes a specific trade-off: religious parties could help him build a government, but securing their support could mean retreating from a policy pledge, according to the Washington Post. Netanyahu's unity proposal offers a competing formula, one that would keep him at the head of government.

Eisenkot plans leadership talks with Yisrael Beiteinu's Avigdor Lieberman, according to the Times of India, which also reported emerging rifts between them. Those discussions will test whether the prospective change bloc can agree on a common approach.

The other concrete test is whether outreach to ultra-Orthodox parties produces an agreement on conscription. Over the six-week negotiating period reported by France 24, Eisenkot needs commitments that turn his mandate into a coalition, while Netanyahu seeks support for his own unity formula.