Israel’s President Isaac Herzog formally entrusted Gadi Eisenkot with trying to form the country’s next government on Sunday, November 8, a day after announcing his decision. The former military chief and leader of the centrist Yashar party now has an initial 28 days to negotiate a cabinet after an inconclusive October 27 election. The assignment is a political opening, not a change of prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu remains in office while Eisenkot seeks an arrangement capable of securing the Knesset’s confidence. Although 67 lawmakers recommended Eisenkot for the task, their recommendations span parties with sharply different positions on coalition membership. Whether those endorsements can be turned into a working government remains unresolved.
A presidential mandate, not a transfer of power
Herzog informed Eisenkot on Saturday evening, November 7, that he intended to give him the first attempt at government formation. The president’s office scheduled the formal presentation for 5 p.m. on Sunday at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. The Associated Press and Reuters subsequently confirmed that Herzog handed Eisenkot the mandate there on November 8. Those are two separate steps: an announced decision followed by the formal assignment that starts the legal clock.
Speaking after receiving the mandate, Eisenkot said he wanted to build a broad government quickly, but acknowledged the difficulty of the negotiations. Reuters reported that he described an urgent national situation and called for political flexibility. Herzog, who had spoken with party leaders after formal consultations, emphasized the need for a stable government. Neither statement established that a coalition deal had been reached; the public ceremony marked the beginning of an attempt to assemble one.
Sources: President Herzog Concludes Consultations and Announces He Will Task Gadi Eisenkot With Forming a Government · President Herzog Concludes Round of Consultations With Knesset Factions · Netanyahu rival Eisenkot seeks 'wide' government but path to power uncertain · Israel’s president gives Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government
The election produced three blocs without a majority
The October 27 vote for Israel’s 26th Knesset returned a fragmented 120-seat parliament. Official party-level results give Netanyahu’s Likud 27 seats and Eisenkot’s Yashar 21. Using the blocs commonly described in post-election reporting, Netanyahu-aligned parties total 53 seats, four opposition parties associated with Eisenkot total 48, and the two Arab-led lists, the Joint List and Ra’am, hold 19. A straightforward majority in the Knesset requires 61 seats, which none of those groupings commands alone.
On November 4, Central Elections Committee chair Noam Sohlberg presented the official election results to Herzog. The seat allocations are settled for this stage, but they are not themselves an agreement about who will govern. Parties can negotiate across reported blocs, and a parliamentary majority depends on members’ actual support when a government seeks confidence. The disparity between the largest party, the bloc totals and a viable coalition is why Herzog's consultations continued into further conversations after the first round ended.
Sources: Elections Results for the 26th Knesset — official party seat allocations · The institution of the Presidency — timetable for government formation · President Herzog receives the official results of the elections to the 26th Knesset
The 67 recommendations come with incompatible conditions
Herzog’s consultations ended with factions representing 67 members of parliament recommending Eisenkot, 46 recommending Netanyahu and seven recommending neither. The seven belonged to United Torah Judaism, according to Israeli reporting. The arithmetic is straightforward: Eisenkot’s 48-seat opposition grouping plus the 19 seats of the Arab-led parties reaches 67. But a recommendation identifies whom a party wants to receive the negotiating mandate; it does not bind those lawmakers to join a cabinet or endorse its eventual programme.
The president himself said the choice was complicated by mutual vetoes between potential partners. The Joint List and Ra’am both recommended Eisenkot, and AP reported that the Joint List offered outside support rather than a place in government. Yet Eisenkot has set conditions on recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and on national service, while his prospective partner Avigdor Liberman opposes relying on Arab-led parties. The gap between recommending a negotiator and backing the same coalition is the central problem that 67 alone cannot solve.
Sources: President Herzog Concludes Consultations and Announces He Will Task Gadi Eisenkot With Forming a Government · Israel’s president gives Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government · Joint List faction recommends Gadi Eisenkot · Eisenkot gets nod to form government; coalition obstacles and Liberman's position
Several bargaining routes, none agreed
One possible route would seek support from ultra-Orthodox parties that previously backed Netanyahu. United Torah Judaism’s decision not to endorse Netanyahu left its seven seats available for negotiation, although it did not amount to a promise to join Eisenkot. Reuters and AP identified a longstanding dispute over exemptions from military service as a major barrier: Eisenkot has argued for broader service obligations, while ultra-Orthodox parties want arrangements that protect religious study. Any compromise would have to be acceptable to several parties, not simply one leader.
Another route would involve an understanding with some of Netanyahu’s allies or a broader unity arrangement. Reuters reported that Eisenkot invited parties meeting his stated principles to discuss participation; Netanyahu had also called for a unity government, but major political differences remain. Outside backing from Arab-led factions is a separate possibility discussed in reporting, and one that faces opposition within Eisenkot’s own wider camp. These are negotiating scenarios described by news organizations, not announced agreements or evidence that a particular cabinet has secured its votes.
Sources: Netanyahu rival Eisenkot seeks 'wide' government but path to power uncertain · Israel’s president gives Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government · Eisenkot gets nod to form government; coalition obstacles and Liberman's position
The first deadline is 28 days, with defined alternatives
Under Israel’s Basic Law: The Government, the first person assigned to form a government has 28 days, and the president may grant extensions totaling no more than 14 days. The presidency’s published explanation says that, if the attempt fails or a proposed government loses a confidence vote, Herzog can assign another willing member of the Knesset the task for an unextendable 28-day period, or tell the speaker that he sees no workable path. Netanyahu could be considered for that second attempt, but the law does not name him automatically.
If the second path also fails, or the president declines to assign a second candidate, lawmakers have a further 21-day window in which a majority can jointly request that a specified willing member receive the mandate. That candidate would then have 14 days to form a government. These stages are not interchangeable: the 21 days are for obtaining the parliamentary request, not a 21-day governing mandate. If all statutory routes fail, the Knesset is treated as dissolved and another election follows under the legal timetable.
Sources: The institution of the Presidency — timetable for government formation
What would actually change Israel’s government
For a new administration to take office, its proposed cabinet must be presented and the Knesset must express confidence in it. The presidency’s guidance distinguishes that parliamentary decision from its own earlier assignment of a negotiating mandate. The newly elected Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10, but inauguration of a parliamentary term is not the same event as approval of a government. Until a replacement wins confidence, Netanyahu and his cabinet continue in a caretaker capacity, as AP reported.
The next observable developments are therefore coalition agreements, documented changes in party positions, any request for an extension and, ultimately, a parliamentary confidence vote. Eisenkot’s appointment gives him the first opportunity to test what can be assembled from a divided chamber. It does not establish whether he will succeed, whether another lawmaker will be asked to try, or whether voters may face another election. Those outcomes remain open after the November 8 ceremony.
Sources: Israel’s president gives Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government · The institution of the Presidency — timetable for government formation · President Herzog receives the official results of the elections to the 26th Knesset
