President Isaac Herzog announced Thursday evening, following the conclusion of consultations with the parties elected to the 26th Knesset, that he intends to assign the mandate to form the next government on Sunday.
Herzog said that although Gadi Eisenkot had secured a clear majority of recommendations, it remained uncertain whether he would be able to form a government because of the parties' mutual refusals to cooperate.
In a statement to the media, Herzog summarized the consultations, saying he had met with representatives of all the factions and held frank and sometimes difficult discussions with them.
"I asked difficult questions in an effort to encourage both the parties and the public to break free from rigid thinking and open their minds to other possibilities," he said.
Herzog presented the breakdown of recommendations: "Representatives of factions comprising 67 Knesset members recommended Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, while representatives of factions comprising 46 Knesset members recommended Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu."
However, the President emphasized that the number of recommendations was not the only consideration in his decision.
"The results of the consultations appear clear on the surface, but the authority granted to me by law requires me to determine who has the ability to form a government. That remains far from clear, given the mutual refusals to cooperate between the blocs and even within the blocs themselves," he said.
Herzog added that he would hold individual discussions with several party leaders in the coming days to explore the possibilities for forming a government.
"I intend to assign the mandate to form a government this coming Sunday. In these discussions, I intend to leave no stone unturned in an effort to encourage cooperation and the formation of a stable and effective government for the people of Israel," Herzog declared.
The Yashar party welcomed the outcome of the consultations, emphasizing that Eisenkot had received the highest number of recommendations for a candidate to form a government since 2015.
"The people's decision and the clear parliamentary majority leave no room for doubt: Israeli citizens voted for change and expressed a complete lack of confidence in outgoing Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government," the party said in a statement.
Yashar further argued that "Benjamin Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister with a minority of just 46 seats. He has no mandate, no majority, and no confidence from the people."
The party called on the President to assign Eisenkot the mandate as soon as possible, allowing him to establish a national emergency government to address Israel's security challenges and the need for national recovery.
"All public leaders who care about Israel's future must now rise to the occasion, set aside narrow political and personal considerations, and ensure that a government is formed as quickly as possible," the party stated.
Yashar warned that missing the opportunity to form a government could lead to another election and impose a heavy cost on the country.
"This is a test of leadership," the party concluded.