Point of no return: On Israel’s next government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s decision to invite opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government reflects the real mandate of the October 27 legislative elections. While Mr. Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party finished second with 21 seats, behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, which won 27, the former military chief, who campaigned on an anti-Netanyahu platform, has secured the support of 67 legislators in the 120-member Knesset. In Mr. Eisenkot’s own words, Israel risks “descending to dark places, to a point of no return”. But it is not yet clear what kind of a government Mr. Eisenkot is seeking to form. The opposition parties are split between a Jewish-led bloc with 48 MKs and an Arab-led bloc of 19 MKs. Arab parties have offered in-principle support for Mr. Eisenkot to keep Mr. Netanyahu’s right-religious coalition out of power. But what is not clear is whether they would be part of the government or offer outside support by allowing Mr. Eisenkot to run a minority government. Some of Mr. Eisenkot’s Jewish right-wing allies, such as Avigdor Lieberman, are opposed to joining hands with Arab parties. Mr. Eisenkot has now called for a unity government, appealing even to Likud and the far-right Religious Zionism, to join him.

But the challenges facing Israel’s next leader are formidable and immediate. Mr. Netanyahu’s unchecked militarism has deepened Israel’s international isolation, strained its relationship with the U.S., its most important patron and ally, and aggravated the security challenges it faces in its neighbourhood. At home, the surge of the far-right has further polarised society, while systemic violence against Palestinians has spread across the West Bank. Mr. Netanyahu’s response to these challenges has been to unleash more violence, which has only compounded Israel’s problems. If Mr. Eisenkot is serious about pulling Israel back from the point of no return, he must pursue a three-pronged approach. Firstly, he should form an Arab-Jewish unity government focused on healing the country’s internal wounds and bridging gaps between communities. Second, Israel’s deepening international isolation and increasingly negative public opinion around the world will begin to exact a heavy toll sooner rather than later. Tel Aviv must take urgent steps to restore its international standing. Third, Israel must reopen the path to peace. The new government should initiate negotiations with the Palestinians under international mediation, crack down on settler violence, pull back from Gaza and reaffirm its commitment to the two-state solution. Without peace, Israel risks continuing to “descend to dark places”.