Israel took its first concrete step toward a new government this weekend, and the person tasked with trying to build it is a retired general turned politician who has spent the past two years in public life rather than the military.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced that he was giving Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a coalition government. In Israel's parliamentary system, no party has ever won a outright majority on its own, so after an election the president meets with the leaders of every party that won seats and then formally designates one of them, usually whoever appears to have the best chance of assembling a working majority, to attempt to build a coalition within a set period of time. Being given this first mandate is a meaningful milestone, but it is not a guarantee of success. The designated leader still has to negotiate with other parties over cabinet posts, policy priorities, and budgets, and those talks can collapse.
Eisenkot is a familiar name to Israelis for reasons that have nothing to do with party politics. He served for years in uniform before moving into government, and he has become one of several former security officials who entered politics in recent years. His Yashar party emerged from the most recent election as one of the pivotal blocs, giving him the standing to be handed this first chance.
The path from here is not simple. Eisenkot will need to find partners among parties with very different priorities, and other influential figures in Israeli politics, including veteran lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman, are being watched closely for whether they will join or withhold support. If Eisenkot cannot put together a majority within the time allowed, Herzog can hand the mandate to someone else, or the country could face the prospect of yet another round of elections, a pattern Israel has seen repeatedly over the past several years.
Coalition talks typically unfold over weeks of closed door negotiations. The first concrete sign of progress will be whether other major parties publicly commit to join an Eisenkot led government.
Does getting the mandate mean Eisenkot will become prime minister?
Not automatically. He now has a window of time to try to assemble a coalition with enough seats for a majority, and that effort can still fail.
What is Yashar?
Yashar is the party led by Gadi Eisenkot that emerged as a significant bloc in Israel's most recent parliamentary election.