Uphill battle: Gadi Eisenkot's 3 paths to forming Israel's next government
When President Isaac Herzog tasks Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government, he will have three options for building a coalition, each fraught with obstacles.
If President Isaac Herzog tasks Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming Israel’s next government, he will face three options for cobbling together a coalition, each fraught with obstacles that make it virtually unfeasible, Israeli political sources told Al-Monitor.
Herzog held consultations Wednesday and Thursday with party representatives on who is best placed to form a stable government. He will announce his decision Sunday.
All the opposition parties recommended Eisenkot: centrist Yashar, center-right Together, right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu, left-wing The Democrats, the Arab Joint List and Raam. That gives him the backing of 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members, above the 61-seat majority threshold.
All but one of the coalition parties recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, giving him the support of 46 lawmakers. They are Netanyahu’s Likud, far-right Religious Zionism/Zehut and Jewish Power, and ultra-Orthodox Shas.
