Eisenkot emerges as frontrunner to form Israeli government as religious party backs away from Netanyahu

Gadi Eisenkot emerged as the favourite to be asked by President Isaac Herzog to form Israel's next government after United Torah Judaism declined to recommend Benjamin Netanyahu. President Herzog is holding a second day of consultations following the 27 October election that left both Netanyahu and Eisenkot without a clear majority. Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc has 48 seats in the 120‑member Knesset. United Torah Judaism, which won seven seats, told the president it would not recommend any lawmaker to form a government, breaking its five‑election streak of backing Netanyahu. The party, representing Ashkenazi ultra‑Orthodox Jews, said its priority is to sort out the status of Torah‑student exemptions from military service. Netanyahu has kept the exemption but has not codified it into law, sparking resentment from reservists serving in the Gaza, Lebanon and Iran wars. Eisenkot, a former military chief, has pledged to end these exemptions, a stance that has drawn criticism from some opposition allies who see the ultra‑Orthodox community, about 14 % of the population, as a fiscal strain. The Arab‑Israeli Raam list, led by Mansour Abbas, also recommended Eisenkot, boosting his potential coalition with the Arab‑majority parties that now hold 19 seats after a surge of anger over Netanyahu’s hard‑right policies. Forming a government would give Eisenkot a 28‑day window, extendable by 14 days, to assemble a coalition; failure would see Herzog appoint another lawmaker. ## Context In Israel’s parliamentary system, no single party often wins a majority, so coalition talks involve trade‑offs on key issues like the military‑service exemption for ultra‑Orthodox students, which has long been a flashpoint between religious and secular segments of society.