Israel's president picks Eisenkot over Netanyahu to try to form new government

Former army chief, backed by both Arab-led parties, has 28 days to build a coalition as Netanyahu fights to stay in power Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, waves following national election exit polls at his party headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, 28 October 2026 (REUTERS/Shir Torem) Published date: 7 November 2026 20:13 GMT | Last update: 2 min 4 sec ago Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday chose opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to try to form a new government, Israeli media reported, after an inconclusive election left neither he nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a clear path to power. Eisenkot, a former military chief, is due to formally receive the mandate on Sunday evening. He will then have 28 days to build a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension. Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc won 53 seats in the 27 October election, short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, though it remains the largest grouping in parliament. The opposition alliance led by Eisenkot won 48, while Arab-led parties secured a record 19 seats between them, giving them a potentially decisive role in coalition talks. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Both Arab-led parties backed Eisenkot during consultations with Herzog this week. Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, endorsed him with its eight lawmakers on Wednesday, followed by the Joint List on Thursday. That brought Eisenkot’s total to 67 lawmakers, against 46 for Netanyahu. United Torah Judaism, which had backed Netanyahu after the previous five elections, declined to recommend him this time, though it did not back Eisenkot either. The Joint List said its unanimous decision reflected public demand to stop Netanyahu and his government from returning to power, and was aimed at widening Eisenkot’s lead to improve the chances of replacing the incumbent government. After the consultations, Herzog said on Thursday it would be logical to give the mandate to Eisenkot. Netanyahu turns on Arab-led parties Eisenkot’s bloc has so far refused to formally ally with the Arab-led parties, even though they could hand it a majority. But the opposition has opened the door to a once unlikely partnership with ultra-Orthodox parties, which could give Eisenkot enough seats for a coalition that might also include Ra’am, a Palestinian-led party, with outside support from the Joint List. In a pre-recorded speech on Saturday, Netanyahu warned that a government relying on Islamists would destroy Israel from within, comparing it to what he said was happening in Europe. He has also gone on the offensive against Arab-led parties, accusing them of receiving foreign funding ahead of the election, in which Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out in record numbers. He renewed his call for a national unity government of Zionist parties, an idea Herzog has signalled he wants to explore. Eisenkot’s Yashar party responded by urging Likud and its allies to cut ties with what it called extremists and join a unity government under him. On Friday, Eisenkot called for an emergency government and did not rule out a minority government. He said he would move quickly to build a coalition around the four Jewish opposition parties of the Change bloc: Yashar, Naftali Bennett’s Together, Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu and Yair Golan’s Democrats. Any party that accepts his conditions could join, either at the start or later, he added. Eisenkot has repeatedly rejected the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. While serving as army chief between 2015 and 2019, he publicly advocated closer ties with Saudi Arabia, saying the two countries should work together to counter Iran’s influence in the region. He also said Israel would be willing to share intelligence with Riyadh to confront Tehran. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.