The Knesset building in Jerusalem. Photo: Gary Todd, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0); cropped
Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli military chief who leads the Yashar! party, has received recommendations from 67 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers to form Israel’s next government, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 46.
The final tally followed two days of consultations with President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, including a Thursday meeting with Eisenkot’s party delegation. The completed consultation totals put Eisenkot ahead, but do not make him prime minister or establish a governing coalition.
What the recommendations mean
Israel’s president consults elected parties before choosing a lawmaker to try to assemble a government. A recommendation tells Herzog which candidate a party wants him to choose. It is not a promise that every recommending party will join the same government or agree on its policies.
Herzog, Israel’s head of state, said disagreements between and within the political blocs still leave the path to a government unclear. He plans to announce his choice on Sunday, November 8. The candidate chosen would normally have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension.
A separate contest over the Knesset speaker
The newly elected 26th Knesset, Israel’s parliament, is due to be sworn in on Tuesday, November 10. Parties opposed to Netanyahu are seeking a vote to replace Speaker Amir Ohana at that opening session, even before a new government is formed.
The speaker runs parliamentary proceedings and helps set the legislative agenda. Ohana has said that if at least 61 lawmakers request an early election for the post, he will schedule it no later than a week after that request. That is a conditional timetable, not an automatic seven-day deadline following the president’s consultations.
For Israelis and businesses waiting for a stable government, the distinction matters: 67 recommendations show support for giving Eisenkot the first attempt, but the terms of a coalition and who controls parliament’s proceedings still need to be settled.
JBizNews Desk | Jerusalem
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