Gandhi Eisenkot was officially tasked with forming a government on Sunday (Nov. 8) Gadi Eizenkot, ushering in a new round of political negotiations in Israel following the elections that deprived Benjamin Netanyahu of his parliamentary majority.
The country’s president, Isaac Herzog, tasked the leader of the centrist Yasar Party with forming a new governing coalition, as 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members had recommended that he be given the mandate.
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However, this support does not automatically translate into a governing majority, as the parties seeking to oust Netanyahu continue to disagree over the participation of Arab factions.
The obstacle of the Arab parties
The former chief of the Israeli Defense Forces is called upon to bridge significant political differences in order to secure the at least 61 seats required to form a government.
Although Netanyahu’s opponents hold a total of 67 seats together with the Arab parties, without them their parliamentary strength is limited to 48.
The possibility of cooperation with the United List and the Ra’am party is a major point of contention, as some of the factions supporting Eisenkot had ruled out such a possibility before the election.
28-Day Deadline to Form a Government
Eizenkot now has 28 days to complete negotiations and secure the necessary parliamentary support.
President Herzog may extend the deadline by another 14 days if he deems it necessary. In the event of failure, the process may continue with the mandate being assigned to another member of the Knesset.
This development is a political blow to Netanyahu, though it does not necessarily mean that his removal from the premiership has already been secured.
The coming days will determine whether Eisenkot can turn the support he received for the mandate into a viable government agreement.
Source: cnn.gr
