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Israeli President Herzog officially authorized opposition leader Eisenkot to form a cabinet. He received the support of 67 members of Congress. Netanyahu has clearly lost power, but commanding a majority in a divided Congress is still fraught with uncertainties.
israel The virtual head of state, President Isaac Herzog, announced on the evening of the 7th that following the general elections on October 27, he officially authorized opposition candidate and former Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces Gadi Eisenkot to form a coalition government. Eisenkot was the Prime Minister of Israelnetanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu, the main rival in the election, has been authorized to form a new government, representing Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history, who is one step closer to stepping down after suffering an election setback.
The Associated Press and CNN reported that Herzog held two days of consultations with all political parties elected to the Knesset last week; Eisenkot received the support of 67 members of the new Knesset, including 19 members from the two Arab parties. Netanyahu was recommended by only 46 lawmakers, and his traditional ally United Torah Judaism declined to recommend him, indicating a clear split in their basically solid political camp.
After Eisenkot was authorized by the President to form the Cabinet, he posted on social media platforms
In last month’s general election, Netanyahu’s Likud party and its ally, the centrist Yashar party led by Eisenkot, failed to win a majority; Arab parties became a “significant minority”.
Only once in Israel’s history have Arab-dominated parties participated in a ruling coalition. A coalition would be politically dangerous, and any potential ruling coalition would likely force all parties to make difficult compromises, possibly even angering their respective bases and leading to deeper divisions.
Netanyahu is trying to prevent Eisenkot from forming a coalition with Arab parties, and is making baseless claims that he “stole” the election results. Shortly before releasing his statement, Herzog also released a video calling for the formation of a “national unity government” and warning that “a government with terrorist supporters should not be sworn in hastily.”
Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly portrayed Arab parties as a national security threat. Eisenkot expressed willingness to cooperate with Arab parties under certain conditions; That includes defining the Palestinian armed organization Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be destroyed. Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel subsequently maintained a state of war in areas around Gaza for more than three years.
The analysis suggests that Eisenkot and Netanyahu may try to form a broad “national unity government” with other major Jewish parties; But there are differences between the two on many issues which are difficult to bridge. Eisenkot may also attempt to form a “minority government” and use these parties to provide external support to maintain government operations without formally incorporating Arab parties into the governing coalition.
Summary FAQ
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Herzog officially authorized opposition candidate and former chief of staff of the National Defense Forces Eisenkot to form a coalition government, symbolizing that Netanyahu is one step closer to stepping down following his election defeat.
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Eisenkot was supported by 67 members of the new parliament, including 19 seats from the two Arab parties; In comparison, Netanyahu was recommended by only 46 members, showing that his camp is clearly divided.
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He could try to form a broad national unity government, or he could rule as a minority government with outside support from Arab parties to maintain operations, but both paths are fraught with political risks.
