Eisenkot given 28 days to form Israel government after inconclusive election

The churn in Israeli politics has picked up pace. Gadi Eisenkot, former army chief and leader of the Yashar party, has begun efforts to form a new government. Challenging the long-running hold on power of caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he has started reaching out to political parties.

No party won a clear majority in the general election held in Israel on October 27. President Isaac Herzog then held consultations with several parties. In these, 67 members of parliament recommended that Eisenkot be given the chance to form a government, while 46 backed Netanyahu.

On November 8, Eisenkot was formally entrusted with forming the government. He has been given 28 days to prove his majority. It is being said that a further 14 days could be granted if needed. With no clear majority in parliament, bringing allies together is a big challenge for him.

Eisenkot has begun talks with different parties to form the government. Notably, he has invited members of Netanyahu's Likud party to join the government, as well as the party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which holds far-right views.

However, he is keen to retain the leadership of the new government himself. His alliance currently has 48 seats, while at least 61 are needed for a majority in the 120-member parliament. He therefore has two options: win the support of Arab parties, or bring in some parties from Netanyahu's camp.

After taking on the responsibility of forming the government, Eisenkot expressed deep concern over the current situation in Israel. He said the country has been caught in a serious political crisis under Netanyahu's leadership and that the confidence of close friendly countries internationally is also declining.

To bring the country out of this crisis, he has spoken of the need for a national emergency government. Meanwhile, the support of Arab parties, the conditions of religious parties and the split visible within Likud will make the path to forming a government difficult.