Herzog taps Eisenkot to form government over Netanyahu
Gadi Eisenkot has 28 days to reach 61 seats, and his clearest route runs through the ultra-Orthodox parties.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog has chosen Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government, passing over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Herzog told the Yashar leader on Saturday evening, 7 November 2026, that he would task Eisenkot to form government, and a formal mandate ceremony was set for Sunday, 8 November, The Times of Israel reported. Eisenkot now has 28 days to assemble a coalition of at least 61 of the 120 Knesset seats.
Why Herzog picked Eisenkot to form government
Eisenkot received 67 recommendations from lawmakers in the consultations that ended last week, against 46 for Netanyahu, as our earlier report on the 67 recommendations set out. United Torah Judaism, with 7 seats, recommended neither candidate. You can read more about Gadi Eisenkot and Isaac Herzog in our profiles.
The 27 October election produced no majority. Eisenkot’s four-party alliance won 48 seats, Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc won 53, and Arab-led parties won a record 19, Al Jazeera reported.
Key numbers
- 28 days: the time Eisenkot has to form a government, with a possible extension of up to 14 days.
- 67 to 46: recommendations for Eisenkot against Netanyahu.
- 61: seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
- 48 + 7 + 6: Eisenkot’s bloc plus United Torah Judaism and Shas would reach exactly 61, The Times of Israel calculated.
The coalition maths Eisenkot faces
Eisenkot has ruled out working with Arab-led parties, and some hawkish members of his own bloc oppose relying on them. His clearest route to 61 runs through the two ultra-Orthodox parties. The Times of Israel reported that a source in Shas’s Council of Torah Sages said the party would not oppose an Eisenkot government if United Torah Judaism’s rabbis approved, while Shas itself dismissed reports that it would join as “total fake news”.
Military service for ultra-Orthodox men is the main sticking point. Several parties in Eisenkot’s bloc favour ending exemptions for most of them, while Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman has said he can accept compromises on enlistment.
What people said
Eisenkot wrote on X that “now is the time for the formation of a national emergency government”. Netanyahu, in a video statement, said a government that depends on Arab-led parties would threaten the state. “A government dependent on Hamas supporters won’t fight Hamas,” he said. Joint List MP Ahmad Tibi called the decision expected, Al Jazeera reported.
What happens next
If Eisenkot fails within his deadline, Herzog can nominate another candidate, who would have 14 days. If that also fails, a new election must be called within 90 days, with Benjamin Netanyahu staying on as caretaker, Al Jazeera reported. Eisenkot led Israel’s military from 2015 to 2019 and was an observer in Netanyahu’s war cabinet during the first eight months of the Gaza war.
A government led by Eisenkot would end Netanyahu's long hold on power and could change Israel's approach to Gaza, Iran and the wider region. But the arithmetic is tight and depends on rivals who have vetoed each other, so another election remains possible.