Eisenkot Named Israel PM Candidate: "Forming Emergency Government"... Netanyahu Faces Ouster Threat

Secures mandate to form a coalition before Netanyahu
Coalition talks with Arab parties expected to face hurdles

AP-Yonhap News

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar Party and the opposition alliance in Israel, has been formally nominated as a candidate for prime minister. Eisenkot stressed that he would form a national emergency government suited to the current state of emergency. With Eisenkot receiving the first mandate to form a coalition, the likelihood of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu losing power has risen sharply.

According to The Times of Israel (TOI), on November 8 (local time), Eisenkot was nominated as a candidate for prime minister by President Isaac Herzog at the presidential residence in Jerusalem and was granted the mandate to form a coalition. At a press conference immediately after his nomination, he said, "Israel is currently facing a difficult and serious state of emergency. The battlefield remains active, and we are in the midst of a severe diplomatic crisis." He added, "I will use the mandate entrusted to me today to form a national emergency government, and to that end, I will pursue creative and unconventional political approaches."

The anti-Netanyahu opposition alliance led by Eisenkot won just 48 of the 120 seats in parliament in the general election held on October 27. By contrast, the pro-Netanyahu governing alliance took 53 seats, prompting speculation that Prime Minister Netanyahu could remain in power.

However, with the support of Arab parties that won 19 seats, Eisenkot succeeded in receiving the first mandate to form a coalition, ahead of the governing alliance led by Prime Minister Netanyahu. Eisenkot has 28 days to negotiate the formation of a coalition and may request a 14-day extension if necessary.

If Eisenkot succeeds in forming a coalition within that period, Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to lose power immediately. Conversely, if Eisenkot fails to form a coalition by the deadline, the Israeli president may transfer the mandate to another candidate or dissolve parliament and call a new election.

However, negotiations to form a coalition are expected to be difficult for Eisenkot. Right-wing and ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups in Israel strongly oppose an alliance with Arab parties, whose support is essential to the coalition. Yisrael Beiteinu, a right-wing party within the opposition alliance, has already publicly rejected an alliance with Arab parties.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.