The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has decided not to commission for now the formation of a new executive, understanding that it is still “not clear” who is in a position to take on that task: whether the head of the opposition, Gadi Eisenkot, who has managed to secure the backing of 67 members of the Knesset, or the acting prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has the support of 46. Herzog plans to communicate his definitive decision this Sunday.
After concluding the round of consultations with the various parties represented in the Knesset, the head of state explained that, although on paper the support appears to tilt clearly, he must exercise the prerogative granted to him by law to assess who truly has options to put together a government majority, something, he said, is clouded by the cross vetoes between blocs and within the blocs themselves.
In this regard, he emphasized that his intention is to hold personal talks with several political leaders in order to try to clarify the situation and make a decision in the shortest time possible. He also expressed his wish to be able to appoint a new prime minister “next Sunday” and has promised that until then “I will spare no effort to build bridges and build a stable and solid Government for the people of Israel”.
The president made these brief statements after several days of meetings with the parties, meetings that he described as “open, sincere and incisive”. “I asked difficult questions with the aim of helping the parties and the public break free from established patterns of thought and open their minds to other avenues,” he added.
For his part, Eisenkot’s party, Yashar, has highlighted that its candidate has received “an absolute majority of recommendations to receive the mandate to form a Government” and has boasted that “it is the highest number of recommendations granted (...) since 2015”. In its message, the party also stressed that “Benjamín Netanyahu is an acting prime minister with a majority of only 46 seats. He has no mandate, no majority, and does not enjoy the confidence of the people”.
Given this scenario, Yashar has urged Herzog to express himself as soon as possible in favor of Eisenkot, arguing that "given the gravity of the moment, the challenges in the area of security and the urgent need to rebuild the country, we consider it of utmost importance to receive the mandate of the president of the State as soon as possible, in order to immediately form an emergency national government that begins working for the benefit of all citizens of Israel".
The party has also warned that "to miss this opportunity could entail a high price for the State of Israel and lead to new elections, against the will of Israeli citizens".