Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot said on Sunday he will work to form a wide government as quickly as possible, but his path to power was uncertain following a deadlocked election that failed to dislodge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday gave Eisenkot the first opportunity to try to form a new government after the October 27 election left both Eisenkot and Netanyahu short of the majority needed to govern.
Herzog officially handed Eisenkot the task on Sunday at a meeting at the president’s residence, starting the clock on what Eisenkot said would be an “extraordinarily complex” process.
“We are in a state of emergency, approaching a point of no return for the State of Israel,” Eisenkot said. “We must form a national emergency government. This will require creative and unconventional political steps.”
Eisenkot said Israeli democracy was at a vulnerable moment at a time when it faced immense challenges, with Herzog citing a threat of attack from Iran, the need to progress towards peace in Gaza and negotiations with Lebanon and other neighbours.
“There is great urgency for new leadership, leadership that people can look in the eye and trust,” Eisenkot said.
His potential pathways to power include trying to form a minority government with Arab party support for key issues; forming a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties that he and his allies have shunned in the past; or forging a unity government with Netanyahu. All three options face formidable obstacles.
