Herzog Chooses Eisenkot to Form Government; Formal Mandate Set for Sunday

Original report

President Isaac Herzog notified Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot on Saturday evening that he had decided to entrust him with forming Israel’s next government. The formal presentation of the mandate is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, at 17:00 at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, with the ceremony to be broadcast live. The decision follows the presidential consultations that ended on Thursday and further discussions with political leaders over the weekend, including Benjamin Netanyahu and Eisenkot. In his November 5 statement after the consultation round, Herzog said: “I intend to task a member of Knesset with forming the government this coming Sunday.” Saturday’s notification identifies the lawmaker he has chosen ahead of that ceremony. Factions representing 67 members of the Knesset recommended Eisenkot during the consultations, while factions representing 46 recommended Netanyahu. A faction with seven lawmakers recommended neither candidate. Herzog’s Thursday statement distinguished the number of recommendations from the practical ability to assemble a government, pointing to mutual vetoes between political blocs and within them. Once he formally receives the mandate, Eisenkot will have 28 days to try to form a government, with the president able to extend that period by up to 14 days under Basic Law: The Government. The selection does not itself establish a coalition or install a new prime minister; Sunday’s formal handover is the next announced step.