Israeli President Isaac Herzog gave opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government on Sunday evening.
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Herzog → give → evening
After the formal announcement, Eisenkot, who ran as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, now has to launch complicated negotiations with potential coalition partners.
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who → run → partners
He has six weeks to form a government.
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He → have → government
At the ceremony in Jerusalem, Eisenkot said he wanted a leadership that people can trust, that will act in the interests of the public and that represents all parts of society.
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that → say → society
The Oct. 27 election gave neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor Eisenkot a clear majority in parliament.
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election → give → parliament
Among the kingmakers — and most politically fraught potential allies — are the Arab-led parties.
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parties → lead → kingmakers
They made historic gains in the election and have been a target of Netanyahu and his allies.
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They → make → Netanyahu
Eisenkot said Sunday that the conditions for parties joining his governing coalition are support for Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, for its declaration of independence, for military or national service, and recognizing the Hamas militant group as a terrorist organization.
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conditions → say → organization
While the announcement doesn’t guarantee that Eisenkot will be the next prime minister, Herzog’s decision is another blow to Netanyahu, who lost his parliamentary majority in the election.
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who → guarantee → election
Here’s a closer look at what lies ahead:
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what → ’ → ?
There was no clear winner
In Israel, people vote for parties, which form alliances.
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which → be → alliances
A coalition needs to have a majority of at least 61 seats in the 120-member assembly, known as the Knesset, to form a government.
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coalition → need → government
Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot secured a majority in the election.
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Netanyahu → secure → election
Netanyahu’s coalition plunged from a peak of 68 seats to just 53.
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coalition → plunge → 53
The opposition bloc, led by Eisenkot, won 48 seats, and Arab-led parties secured the other 19.
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parties → lead → 19
Eisenkot faces significant challenges on the road to becoming prime minister
Eisenkot has three options: a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu, support from Arab-led parties — something several members of his bloc do not support — or an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties, which demand military exemptions for their community.
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which → face → community
Eisenkot, a former army chief, and his partners made equal military service a central part of their campaign.
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service → make → campaign
Specifically, they are seeking an end to the long-standing draft exemptions enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
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they → seek → ultra
After Herzog announced Saturday that he would tap Eisenkot, the candidate vowed to form a government as quickly as possible.
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candidate → announce → government
But doing so will almost certainly require compromises or broken promises.
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doing → do → compromises
Netanyahu presses unsubstantiated claims against Arab voters
Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed the election was “stolen” by Arab parties, which rallied their supporters to vote in large numbers.
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which → press → numbers
But he has offered little evidence to support the claims.
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he → offer → claims
Netanyahu is expected to continue his pressure tactics against Eisenkot, saying any alliance with the Arab parties would be an act of betrayal.
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alliance → expect → betrayal
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency has launched an investigation into possible foreign interference in the vote, but the country’s Central Elections Commission — and Herzog — say the vote was valid and even if wrongdoing is found, it did not have a significant impact on the result.
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it → launch → result
Netanyahu called for a “national unity” government with Eisenkot on Saturday night.
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Netanyahu → call → night
But it remains unclear whether the two rivals could agree on a power-sharing agreement, and these coalitions are fragile and often collapse.
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coalitions → remain → agreement
Support from Arab-led parties faces opposition within Eisenkot’s bloc
Eisenkot has the option of forming a coalition with the support of the two Arab-led parties, which won an unprecedented 19 seats in the highest Arab election turnout.
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which → lead → turnout
Only one Arab party, Ra’am, has ever joined a governing coalition, in 2021.
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party → join → 2021
Ra’am has said it will support Eisenkot, but the party does not have enough seats on its own to push Eisenkot into the majority.
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party → say → majority
Breaking with decades of precedent, the second Arab-led party, the Joint List, said it will support Eisenkot from outside the coalition to end Netanyahu’s grip on power.
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it → break → power
For the Joint List, it would mean backing a government unlikely to end Israel’s wars or curb settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
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it → mean → Bank
For Eisenkot and other opposition parties, it would mean aligning with parties that not only criticize Israel’s policies but reject its identity as a Jewish state.
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it → mean → state
One of Eisenkot’s partners, the more conservative Yisrael Beytenu party, already has said it will not join a coalition with Arab-led parties.
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it → say → parties
Cooperation with ultra-Orthodox falters at anger over military exemptions
Eisenkot also says that any party that joins him must support mandatory military service or civil service.
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that → falter → service
It remains unclear whether the ultra-Orthodox religious parties are prepared to compromise.
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parties → remain → ?
These religious parties, which were part of Netanyahu’s outgoing coalition, want to preserve their military exemptions, which they say are needed to preserve their devout lifestyle.
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they → want → lifestyle
But the exemptions have grown especially controversial among the broader public during the past three years of war.
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exemptions → grow → war
Anticipating its position as a swing vote, the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism has left the door open to cooperating with Eisenkot.
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party → anticipate → Eisenkot
What’s expected this week in Israel
Eisenkot has 28 days to form a coalition, with a possible two-week extension from the president.
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Eisenkot → expect → president
If he is unable to form a government, Netanyahu could then be given a chance put together a coalition.
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Netanyahu → form → coalition
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
