Herzog Hands Eisenkot Mandate To Form Israel’s Next Government, Netanyahu Fights To Stay In Power

Netanyahu stays on as caretaker prime minister while Eisenkot attempts to assemble a majority of 61 in the 120-seat Knesset

PGurus Newsdesk

November 8, 2026

Eisenkot has 28 days and needs two Arab-led parties to reach 61 seats. Can he oust Netanyahu?

Eisenkot’s bloc won 48 seats, and the path to a majority runs through two Arab-led parties holding 19 seats

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked opposition leader and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country’s next government, a significant setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the October 27 general election.

The decision followed a week of consultations in which 67 members of the 120-seat Knesset recommended Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party. That compares with 46 who backed Netanyahu. A formal ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, at the President’s residence.

Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension from Herzog. If he fails, the mandate could pass to another candidate, potentially giving Netanyahu a second chance. Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister in the meantime.

The numbers are tighter than the endorsements suggest. Eisenkot’s bloc won 48 seats, short of Netanyahu’s bloc, which Reuters reports at 53. His 67 recommendations include 19 from two parties representing Israel’s Arab minority, which won those seats on a surge in turnout. Eisenkot has said he does not wish to form a government with Arab-led parties, though both sides share a strong interest in removing Netanyahu. Allying with them would force Eisenkot through significant political minefields

Eisenkot served as IDF chief of staff from 2015 to 2019 and entered politics in 2022. He sat as an observer in Netanyahu’s war cabinet during the first eight months of the war that began in October 2023. Like Netanyahu, he rejects the creation of a Palestinian state and holds a hard line against a nuclear-armed Iran, according to Reuters.

Eisenkot has called for a “national emergency government,” saying the priority is repairing the damage done by Netanyahu’s administration. Netanyahu, for his part, has urged the formation of a national unity government. If Eisenkot succeeds, Netanyahu and his hard-right allies would move to the opposition benches.

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