{"text":[[{"start":8.4,"text":"Israel’s president has formally given Gadi Eisenkot the first chance at forming a new government following the parliamentary election on October 27."}],[{"start":17.42,"text":"Neither the bloc of opposition parties aligned with Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition emerged from the vote — widely seen as the most important in Israeli history — with a clear path to forming a governing majority."}],[{"start":32.94,"text":"But following several days of consultations with Israel’s political parties in which more MPs backed Eisenkot than Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday night that he had decided to give Eisenkot the first chance to cobble together a coalition."}],[{"start":48.84,"text":"Accepting the mandate in a ceremony on Sunday, Eisenkot, a former head of the Israeli military who entered politics in 2022, said he would seek to form what he called a “national emergency government”, adding that this would require “creative and unconventional political steps”."}],[{"start":65.06,"text":"“After the difficult years we have endured, we must do things differently this time,” he said, adding that his door was open “to anyone who understands the gravity of this moment and is prepared to take courageous action for the State of Israel”."}],[{"start":77.72,"text":"Herzog’s move, which came shortly after Netanyahu insisted Eisenkot should join a unity government with him, means the former general now has 28 days to attempt to put together a new government. That period can be extended by a further 14 days."}],[{"start":93.8,"text":"If Eisenkot is unable to form a government in that time, Herzog can give another politician, most likely Netanyahu, a chance to form a ruling coalition. If no one is able to form a government, new elections will be called."}],[{"start":106.72,"text":"The bloc of four Jewish opposition parties headed by Eisenkot’s Yashar, which between them won 48 seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament in last week’s election, has several ways to form a new government."}],[{"start":118.44,"text":"However, all of the main options have been ruled out by key members of the bloc — which also includes the centrist B’Yachad group led by Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman’s rightwing Yisrael Beiteinu and the leftwing Democrats — meaning that parties will have to go back on their pre-election promises if a Yashar-led government is to be formed."}],[{"start":137.48,"text":"One option for Eisenkot would be to put together a government dependent on the support of Israel’s two Arab parties, which won 19 seats between them. However, both Lieberman and Bennett have said they will not support this, while Eisenkot has set conditions for joining his coalition that would be difficult for the Arab parties to fulfil."}],[{"start":156.44,"text":"Netanyahu, who has spent years trying to delegitimise Israel’s Arab parties, has also railed against such a possibility, and on Saturday night claimed that a government backed by Arab parties would amount to “national suicide” and lead to “fires and flames” on Israel’s streets. “With a government of that kind, Israel simply will not survive,” Netanyahu claimed."}],[{"start":177.04,"text":"Yashar dismissed Netanyahu’s comments as hysteria."}],[{"start":180.48,"text":"Another possibility would be to rely on the backing of Israel’s two ultra-Orthodox parties, which won 13 seats and have long been allies of Netanyahu but are increasingly frustrated with the veteran premier’s failure to pass legislation exempting their youth from compulsory military service."}],[{"start":196.2,"text":"One of those parties, United Torah Judaism, declined to nominate Netanyahu for prime minister in its consultation with Herzog, fuelling speculation it could back an Eisenkot government. But the opposition parties have made conscripting the ultra-Orthodox a key part of their platform, meaning that any agreement would be complicated to reach."}],[{"start":215.2,"text":"A third option would be a national unity government bringing together Yashar, Netanyahu’s Likud and other Jewish parties."}],[{"start":222.04,"text":"In the wake of Netanyahu’s demand on Saturday that Eisenkot form a unity government with him, Yashar said that if Netanyahu’s Likud wanted to be part of an Eisenkot government it would have to disavow its far-right allies, in a reference to the ultranationalist parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich."}],[{"start":245.76,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1794186573_6438.mp3"}