00:00Gadi Eisenkot could unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel,
00:04He will be tasked with forming a government after the legislative elections at the end of October.
00:09The first elections since the war in Gaza, which broke out after an attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas,
00:14They resulted in no majority for either Netanyahu and his allies, or for Eisenkot's bloc.
00:19However, the opposition leader, a former military chief who had recently entered politics,
00:23It has the thorny support of the Arab parties.
00:26And he also opened the door this week to a hitherto unlikely alliance with the ultra-Orthodox Jews that would suffice for him
00:32to govern.
00:33After holding consultations with all parties throughout the week,
00:37Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday that he will entrust Eisenkot first with the mission of forming
00:44government.
00:44The official appointment will take place at a ceremony on Sunday at the presidential residence in Jerusalem.
00:50as Herzog's office stated in a press release.
00:52In consultations with the president, parties representing a total of 67 deputies
00:57They recommended Eisenkot against 46 members of parliament from Netanyahu's bloc.
01:02But among the parties that opted for the former Chief of Staff,
01:05The Arab-Israeli parties are included, on which certain sectors of the opposition bloc do not want to depend.
01:11And after the elections, Herzog had expressed his preference for a national unity government.
01:16that brings together Jewish Israelis from across the political spectrum.
01:19Netanyahu also called for a unity government, but the opposition insists that the first step must be his resignation.
01:25With nearly two decades in power intermittently,
01:28The conservative leader is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history.
01:33If he is ousted, he could face prison sentences for several corruption cases hanging over him.
01:38He is also the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for the war in Gaza.
01:43In recent days, Netanyahu has lashed out at the opposition for considering pacts with Arab Israelis.
01:49descendants of the Palestinians who remained after the creation of Israel in 1948.
01:54This same Saturday, hours before Herzog's announcement, he called the Arab parties Islamist.
01:58and asserted that a coalition with them would dismantle the State of Israel from within.
02:03In response, Eisenkot's party urged Netanyahu's allies and members of his party
02:07to form a unity government headed by the former military chief.
02:11In addition, Eisenkot proposed a national service for all Israelis,
02:14although allowing a choice of a civilian option instead of a military one,
02:17which would allow some accommodation for the ultra-Orthodox.
02:20Following his appointment, Eisenkot will have 28 days to gather the 61 votes needed to govern.
02:26If he fails, Herzog can grant a 14-day extension before commissioning it to someone else.
02:31If neither side succeeds, Israel will head towards new elections.
02:35Between 2019 and 2022, the country held five elections due to repeated political gridlock.
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