President Herzog May Task Eisenkot With Government Formation First

President Isaac Herzog is expected to task Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar!" party, with forming a government first, a day after the Knesset elections. The President's Residence is preparing to grant the mandate to the candidate who receives the most recommendations from party factions during the initial consultation round. While the president has broad discretion, the number of recommendations carries significant weight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly prefers to be second in line, possibly to prevent Eisenkot from gaining legitimacy to form a government with Arab parties if Netanyahu himself fails.

If Eisenkot receives the mandate, he could influence Knesset proceedings and the composition of the Arrangements Committee, potentially advancing efforts to establish a government. Meanwhile, within the "change bloc," criticism has emerged regarding Eisenkot's campaign strategy, with some sources calling it a "disaster" that brought in right-wing individuals without securing right-wing votes. Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, also expressed reservations about appointing a Knesset speaker from "Yashar!," fearing it could enable Eisenkot to appoint a loyalist and pursue a government with Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties.

President Herzog has avoided committing to a unity government but has spoken of the possibility of forming a broad coalition without extremists. He described the high voter turnout as a "badge of honor for Israeli society" and stated that after receiving the official results from Justice Noam Solberg next week, he will begin consultations. "We must do everything, certainly after yesterday, to avoid further elections," Herzog said, urging party representatives to approach the talks with an "open mind."

As of 2:30 PM, with approximately 85.5% of votes counted and before the double envelope ballots are tallied, Netanyahu's bloc has 53 mandates, compared to Eisenkot's bloc with 48. Arab parties collectively hold 19 mandates. The Likud party has 26 mandates, Eisenkot's "Yashar!" has 21, and Naftali Bennett's "Achadut" and the Joint List each have 12 mandates. Approximately 800 additional ballot boxes are pending review, and the parties Hadel-Zalicha, the ultra-Orthodox, and Ofer Winter's "Amcha Israel" are currently below the electoral threshold.