Herzog to choose between Eisenkot and Netanyahu by Sunday

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog will decide by Sunday who receives the mandate to form the next government.

Herzog made the announcement on Thursday after concluding marathon consultations with parties elected to the 120-seat Knesset. He stated that while the consultation results may look clear, internal vetoes between and within political blocs complicate the process. He plans to hold personal talks with several party leaders over the Friday and Saturday weekend before making a final selection.

Sixty-seven lawmakers endorsed Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition leader and former military chief. Forty-six lawmakers backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In his televised remarks, Herzog noted that mutual vetoes make it difficult to declare a clear winner. He described the situation as one where no single bloc holds an absolute advantage.

The October 27 election resulted in a fragmented parliament that left neither leader with an automatic path to a majority. Netanyahu’s Likud party won the largest single-party share with 27 seats. However, his wider religious-nationalist coalition totaled only 53 seats. Eisenkot’s alliance of four Jewish-led parties secured 48 seats, spanning the center-left to the right. This result occurred despite polls predicting a closer race.

Two parties representing Israel’s Palestinian minority won 19 seats. Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government with these Arab-led parties, yet both recommended him. This support gave him a comfortable majority of lawmakers. Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the Joint List, told the Associated Press that the group wants to remove the current government. "We want to do things that we did not do in the past in order to remove this criminal government," Tibi said.

Eisenkot’s party, Yashar, stated that the 67 recommendations are the highest number any candidate has received since 2015. The party urged Herzog to grant the mandate quickly so Eisenkot can assemble a national emergency government. Yariv Oppenheimer, a member of the Democrats party in Eisenkot’s alliance, told Al Jazeera that he saw no reason for Herzog not to choose Eisenkot. Oppenheimer noted that United Torah Judaism signaled its support could be bought with the right offer. "It’s very clear that Netanyahu doesn’t have a chance to establish a government at all," Oppenheimer added.

Netanyahu faced a setback on Thursday when United Torah Judaism declined to recommend a candidate. The ultra-Orthodox party, a longtime ally, broke with Netanyahu over his coalition’s failure to pass legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox men from military service. The Times of Israel reported that the party’s refusal left Netanyahu’s numbers shaky. He remains prime minister in a caretaker government until a new coalition is formed or a new election is called.

Netanyahu has questioned the election results by pointing to an investigation into possible vote tampering. He has accused Arab-led parties of stealing the vote. Critics argue he is trying to undermine the outcome, a claim he denies. Israel’s Central Election Committee said on Wednesday that the election’s integrity had not been compromised. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who heads the committee, urged elected officials to protect public trust. "This is a real danger. One of the foundations of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power," Sohlberg told Herzog on Wednesday. He described high voter turnout, including among the Arab minority, as a blessing.

Once Herzog nominates a candidate, that person has 28 days to forge a government. This period can be extended by 14 days. If no candidate succeeds, Israel will hold another election. Netanyahu’s far-right allies, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have called for the immediate arrest and interrogation of Arab party leaders.