Israeli President Taps Netanyahu Rival to Form Government as Coalition Battle Looms

Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Saturday that opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot would receive the first chance to form the country’s next government, giving Netanyahu’s leading challenger an opportunity to build a coalition after an inconclusive national election.

Herzog disclosed the decision on Nov. 7, while the formal presentation of the mandate is set for Sunday, November 8, at 5 p.m. Israeli time. Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of securing an additional 14 days.

The move could represent a major step toward ending Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure. It also opens a complicated phase of coalition bargaining, as parties hoping to replace him remain divided on key political issues.

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar (“Straight”) party, waves an Israeli flag onstage after the first exit polls were released in Israel’s general election in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (Ariel Schalit/AP Photo)

After two days of consultations with Israel’s newly elected parliament, Herzog announced Thursday that factions representing 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members had backed Eisenkot, the Yashar chairman, as the next government’s prospective leader. Netanyahu won the support of 46 lawmakers, while seven members of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party declined to support either candidate.

“The results of the consultations may appear clear,” Herzog said in a Nov. 5 statement. He cautioned, however, that competing demands and political vetoes had made the formation of a government far from certain.

The central problem is that Eisenkot’s 67 recommendations do not amount to a 67-seat governing coalition.

In the October 27 election, Netanyahu’s Likud won the most seats of any individual party, taking 27. His broader political bloc captured 53 seats, while the four-party alliance seeking to oust him won 48.

Eisenkot’s remaining recommendations came from two Arab-led parties, the Joint List and Ra’am, which hold 19 seats combined. Although both parties endorsed him before the president, their support creates a political complication for potential coalition partners who have ruled out relying on Arab parties to form a government.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during an interview with News Media in Jerusalem, Israel. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL for News Media)

In a lengthy statement Friday, Eisenkot laid out plans for what he called a National Emergency Government. The proposed administration would initially rely on the four parties united against Netanyahu, while allowing other parties and lawmakers to join later.

“Israel is facing a genuine, tangible and dangerous national emergency,” Eisenkot said. He accused the outgoing government of putting Israeli democracy at risk and warned that continued instability could intensify the country’s security and diplomatic problems.

Eisenkot said negotiations with his political partners had already made substantial progress, with additional discussions continuing.

His proposed coalition would rest on four principles: recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; embracing the values of the Declaration of Independence; requiring universal military, national or civilian service; and recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization while committing to dismantle its military and governing capabilities.

A road sign stands before a large billboard showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) of Likud and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, in Ramat Gan on October 20, 2026. Israel votes on October 27 in its first election since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, with the contest widely viewed as a referendum on the prime minister. (Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images)

Eisenkot said he would invite lawmakers from across the political spectrum to participate if they accepted those principles.

READ MORE: Philippines Plans to Pursue Child Sexual Abuse Charges Against Thomas Markle

Yet divisions persist even among the parties campaigning to remove Netanyahu, particularly over the parliamentary support required to govern.

A potentially important shift came Friday, when Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, indicated he could compromise on military conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The change reverses a long-standing position that had blocked cooperation with religious parties.

In a statement posted on X, Lieberman said preventing another election and ending Netanyahu’s time in office would require difficult compromises.

He listed three requirements: ending the Netanyahu era, avoiding another election and refusing to form a government that depends on the Joint List and Ra’am abstaining.

On other issues, including the divisive military draft law, Lieberman said political leaders would need to show flexibility.

A composite image shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending a memorial service for Ran Gvili, an off-duty police officer killed while fighting militants who entered Israel during Hamas’ deadly October 7, 2023, attack, and the last hostage recovered from Gaza, in Meitar, Israel, January 28, 2026. It also shows Israeli opposition leader and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot launching his Yashar party’s election campaign near Hod Hasharon, Israel, June 30, 2026. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Lieberman’s change in position could create an opening for talks with United Torah Judaism, whose seven lawmakers withheld their recommendation from Netanyahu despite the party’s long-standing alliance with him.

United Torah Judaism leader Yaakov Asher welcomed Lieberman’s flexibility Friday, but said the party had not received a formal proposal. Any agreement, he added, would need approval from its religious leadership.

The military draft dispute remains a serious barrier. Ultra-Orthodox parties have sought legal exemptions for yeshiva students devoted to religious study, while Eisenkot and several of his allies campaigned to broaden the obligation to serve.

Even if United Torah Judaism joined the four-party opposition alliance, Eisenkot would still fall short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority. The religious Shas party, which controls six seats, recommended Netanyahu to Herzog.

Another option would be a minority government supported by abstentions from parties outside the coalition. Eisenkot’s allies have discussed that possibility, but Lieberman has explicitly rejected any arrangement dependent on Arab factions.

That dispute highlights Eisenkot’s main challenge: while most lawmakers recommended giving him the first opportunity to form a government, they remain divided over what that government should look like.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, continues to serve as caretaker prime minister while coalition talks unfold.

The prime minister has also questioned parts of the election outcome amid an investigation into suspected voting irregularities. Israel’s Central Elections Committee said the election’s integrity was not compromised, according to Reuters on November 5.

Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra’am party, speaks during a Knesset plenum session in Jerusalem, Israel’s parliament, July 13, 2026. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

For Eisenkot, securing the presidential mandate would be a significant political achievement. Converting that broad parliamentary backing into a functioning coalition, however, will require agreements on some of Israel’s most divisive domestic questions, especially military service and cooperation with Arab lawmakers.

If the parties cannot overcome those divisions, Israel could remain locked in political deadlock and face the prospect of another election.