Israeli President Isaac Herzog has selected opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form the country’s next government, dealing a significant political setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the inconclusive 27 October elections.

Herzog’s office announced Saturday that Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, would formally receive the mandate on Sunday. Eisenkot secured the recommendations of 67 lawmakers, including 19 from the two Palestinian parties, compared with just 46 for Netanyahu, whose longtime ultra-Orthodox ally United Torah Judaism (UTJ) declined to endorse him.

Despite securing the mandate, Eisenkot faces considerable obstacles to forming a governing coalition. His four-party opposition bloc holds only 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, while Netanyahu’s bloc controls 53. Although the Palestinian parties could provide crucial parliamentary support, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman has rejected any government dependent on their backing, instead proposing an alliance with ultra-Orthodox parties.

That alternative faces its own difficulties over the opposition’s commitment to ending military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, has challenged the election results and accused Palestinian parties of electoral misconduct, claims for which no public evidence had been presented.

On Saturday, he warned that Israel would “simply not survive” under a minority government supported by Palestinian lawmakers, calling instead for a unity government that includes his right-wing and ultra-Orthodox allies.

Eisenkot dismissed the remarks as “pathetic spin” and reiterated his intention to establish a “national emergency government.”

Eisenkot will initially have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. If he fails, the mandate could pass to Netanyahu, prolonging Israel’s political deadlock.

A former Israeli military chief, Eisenkot opposes Palestinian statehood and has pledged to dismantle Hamas’s military wing, while also promising to allegedly crack down on extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. He is also founded the so-called ‘Dahiye Doctrine’ in Lebanon, which advocates overwhelming military force against civilian infrastructure in areas where Hezbollah is present.