Israel is in the midst of deciding who will lead its next government, and the decision is now in the hands of President Isaac Herzog. In a video message on Thursday reported by Israeli news outlet Ynet, Herzog said that parties representing 67 of the Knesset's 120 seats have recommended Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot to receive the mandate to form a government, while parties holding 46 seats recommended that incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, continue in the role.
Under Israel's parliamentary system, the president does not choose the prime minister directly. Instead, after an election, members of the Knesset tell the president which candidate they recommend, and the president formally tasks the candidate with the most support with trying to assemble a coalition that can command a majority in parliament. That candidate then has a set period to negotiate with other parties and form a government; if they cannot, the mandate can pass to another candidate, or the country can face another election.
Herzog is expected to formally announce his decision on Sunday. Given the recommendation tallies reported this week, Eisenkot appears positioned to receive the first opportunity to try to form a government, though the process of actually assembling a working coalition in Israel's fragmented, multi-party parliament can take weeks and is not guaranteed to succeed on the first attempt.
The outcome matters well beyond Israel's borders. Whoever leads the next government will shape Israel's approach to a range of regional security and diplomatic questions at a moment when the wider Middle East is navigating several overlapping negotiations, including the defense realignment discussed in our next story.
President Herzog's formal announcement on Sunday of who receives the mandate to form Israel's next government, and the opening weeks of coalition negotiations that follow.
Does the Israeli president pick the prime minister?
Not directly. The president assigns the mandate to form a government to the candidate recommended by the most Knesset members, who then must build a coalition.
When will the decision be announced?
President Herzog is expected to make his announcement on Sunday.