Gadi Eisenkot is expected to receive the opportunity to form Israel’s next government on Sunday, November 8, 2026, according to Ynet’s reporting on Saturday. President Isaac Herzog has announced his intention to assign the mandate that day, although he has yet to formally identify his choice.
Eisenkot, who leads Yashar!, secured recommendations from parties representing 67 lawmakers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received 46, while United Torah Judaism’s seven representatives declined to endorse either candidate. Those figures put Eisenkot ahead at the presidential consultations, but the parties recommending him have yet to agree on how a government would work.
Liberman’s objection comes from inside Eisenkot’s camp
One of Eisenkot’s immediate challenges is securing agreement from a party he expects to include in his government.
Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman continues to reject an administration that depends on the Arab parties for parliamentary backing. In comments published by Ynet on Friday, he extended that objection to a government whose approval would rely on Ra’am and the Joint List abstaining.
Liberman has shown greater flexibility elsewhere. He said compromises were possible on other issues, including conscription legislation, creating room for negotiations with the Haredi parties. His stated preference is a coalition with 61 lawmakers that does not depend on Ra’am or the Joint List.
The disagreement therefore reaches into the proposed government itself. Eisenkot is counting on Liberman’s party as part of its foundation, while Liberman opposes the parliamentary arrangement being discussed to bring it into office.
Four parties would form the initial government
Eisenkot’s approach begins with the four parties in his bloc: Yashar!, B’Yachad, or Together, the Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu. Their combined strength is 48 seats.
According to Ynet, he wants those parties to establish a government that other factions or individual lawmakers could join, either at the outset or subsequently, if they accept his conditions.
Those conditions cover Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state, the values of the Declaration of Independence, and an obligation for everyone to undertake military, national or civilian service. They also require recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization and a commitment to dismantling its military capabilities and governing power.
Political journalist Amit Segal outlined the proposed voting arrangement in a Telegram post: a government based on 48 lawmakers, supported from outside by the Arab parties, with United Torah Judaism potentially abstaining. His account describes a plan Eisenkot is pursuing; an agreement covering all those parties has not been announced.
The service requirement presents another negotiating difficulty. Eisenkot continues to include it among his conditions for participation, while Liberman has indicated that the draft law could be part of a compromise. How those positions might be reconciled remains unresolved.
Herzog is examining who can turn endorsements into votes
Ra’am and the Joint List joined Eisenkot’s bloc of four parties in recommending him to the president. Their endorsements widened his support beyond the parties he proposes bringing into the initial coalition. They did not settle whether those parties would enter a government, support it from outside or agree to abstain.
Herzog addressed that uncertainty after completing the consultations on Thursday, November 5. He said the recommendation totals appeared clear, but questions about who could assemble a government remained because parties were excluding potential partners both across the blocs and within them.
The president said he would speak personally with some party leaders before making his decision. Those conversations, described in the President’s Office statement, are intended to establish whether the political positions presented during the consultations leave a workable route to a government.
A minority coalition can take office, if the votes allow it
Should Eisenkot receive the first mandate, the initial negotiating period will be 28 days. Herzog would have discretion to extend it by a total of up to 14 days.
Any government Eisenkot assembles would then need the Knesset’s confidence. Under the ordinary voting rule, approval requires more votes in favor than against, with abstentions excluded. A coalition can therefore begin governing with fewer than 61 members if the votes of lawmakers outside it allow the confidence motion to pass.
That makes the positions of the Arab parties and United Torah Judaism consequential even if they remain outside the coalition. Supporting the government would add affirmative votes; abstaining would leave them out of the balance between supporters and opponents.
The mandate would give Eisenkot time to negotiate those commitments. Under Basic Law: The Government, Netanyahu’s outgoing administration continues to perform its duties until a successor government is established.
