Israel President Isaac Herzog tasks Gadi Eisenkot with forming coalition government. What's next?

Israel's President Isaac Herzog has decided to give opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a new coalition government after last week's election failed to deliver a parliamentary majority to either major political bloc. Herzog has been holding consultations with political parties following the election, in which neither Eisenkot's bloc nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's alliance managed to secure enough seats in the Knesset.

Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a new administration, with the possibility of receiving an additional 14 days. "Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy," the former military chief wrote on X. No political party in Israel has ever secured an outright majority, making coalition governments a regular feature of the country's political system.

Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, along with its far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, secured 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Meanwhile, Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his bloc won 48 seats. The two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, secured a combined 19 seats, marking an unprecedented result following increased turnout among Arab voters.

Their combined strength puts them in a potential kingmaker position. However, all but one of the Jewish parties had pledged before the election not to cooperate with them in forming a government. After consulting all political parties during the week, Herzog announced that Eisenkot would receive the first opportunity to build a coalition. According to a statement from the president's office, Herzog informed both Eisenkot and Netanyahu about his decision.

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The statement added that Eisenkot received 67 recommendations for the premiership following consultations with delegations representing incoming Knesset members, while Netanyahu received 46. The Israeli president has considerable discretion in selecting the person he believes has the strongest chance of forming a coalition. He is not required to appoint the leader of the party that wins the most seats.

The election outcome presented three possible routes to forming a government: a national unity administration involving both Netanyahu and Eisenkot, a right-wing coalition led by Netanyahu with defectors from Eisenkot's bloc, or an Eisenkot-led government supported by Arab parties. However, Eisenkot and all but one member of his bloc have previously ruled out joining a government with Arab parties, although speculation has continued about the possibility of reaching an agreement.

Another potential option for Eisenkot would be an arrangement with ultra-Orthodox parties, although securing such a deal would also prove challenging. Israel has previously seen a national unity government. In 2020, after three consecutive elections failed to produce a clear political outcome, Netanyahu and his centrist rival Benny Gantz reached a power-sharing agreement under which leadership would rotate between them.

During his consultations with political parties, Herzog had stressed the importance of avoiding another election and establishing a stable government. He said he expected factions and their representatives to understand that, in the current reality, not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled. Between 2019 and 2022, Israel experienced one of the most politically divided periods in its history, with five separate elections taking place as Netanyahu and his political opponents repeatedly struggled to reach agreements.