67 lawmakers back Eisenkot to form Israel's next government

Israel's former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has the backing of a clear majority of lawmakers to try to form the country's next government, ahead of a decision by President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog's office said 67 of the Knesset's 120 members recommended Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, while 46 recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot's total rose to 67 on Thursday when the Arab-led Joint List, with 11 members, announced it would back him. Eisenkot's own Jewish-led bloc holds fewer seats than that total, so any governing majority would still require hard coalition bargaining.

The recommendations do not settle the matter. Herzog said that he would decide on Sunday which candidate to task with forming a coalition, and that he would hold further talks first. He cited vetoes that parties have placed on working with one another, which make it uncertain whether any candidate can actually put together a majority that can govern.

The person given the mandate has a limited period to negotiate a coalition and can ask for extensions. If they fail, the task can pass to another lawmaker or the country can face another election. Netanyahu remains in office as caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in.

Eisenkot has pressed for a path that could govern with outside support rather than a full coalition including every recommending party. Whether Herzog hands him the mandate, and whether he can then assemble a workable government, will become clearer after Sunday's announcement. This is a developing story.