Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition bloc against outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will officially be tasked with forming the next Israeli government, the President’s Office announced.
“President Herzog has invited Gadi Eisenkot to the Presidential Residence, where he will formally task him with forming the government,” the statement says.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given Change Bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a ruling coalition, which would see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ousted from power.
The opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, a former military chief and political newcomer who has tried to appeal to secular and liberal Israelis, has opened the door to a once improbable alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jews, which could give it the numbers to form a coalition.
Herzog said that after consultations with all parties last week, he would grant Eisenkot the first chance to form a government after neither side secured a majority in a country deeply polarized by Netanyahu’s hard-right rule and worn down by three years of war.
Eisenkot pledged to “do everything” to form a new government. He was recommended by parties representing 67 lawmakers, as opposed to 46 for Netanyahu’s bloc.
The recommendations for Eisenkot include members of Israel’s Arab minority, whose seat haul soared in the election on the back of anger against Netanyahu, and right-leaning segments of the opposition that are against relying on Arab votes.
