President Herzog faces key choice as Israel struggles to form government

What the report says

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is preparing to choose who will get the first chance to build a government after an inconclusive election left neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor former army chief Gadi Eisenkot with a clear majority. According to Al Jazeera, Herzog said he would name a nominee on Sunday after consultations with party leaders, and the result could determine whether Israel moves toward a coalition, a unity arrangement, or another election.

The article says Eisenkot received backing from 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset during the consultations, while Netanyahu got 46. However, that apparent advantage for Eisenkot depends heavily on support from Arab-led parties, which won a record 19 seats in October and are not acceptable to him as coalition partners. Netanyahu’s bloc fell short after one key ally withheld support over disputes on military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

No bloc has reached the 61 seats needed to govern outright. Al Jazeera reports that Eisenkot could still try to form a minority government or win over ultra-Orthodox parties, while Netanyahu could seek an opposition partner or push for a unity deal. If repeated attempts fail, the Knesset could be dissolved and a new election called, leaving Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister. The standoff matters because it could prolong political deadlock in Israel and shape the role of Palestinian citizen parties in future coalition politics.