Herzog taps Eisenkot, not Netanyahu, to form Israel's next government
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Saturday he will give opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government after Eisenkot won 67 recommendations from incoming lawmakers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 46. Eisenkot gets 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, after a ceremony Sunday.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Saturday night he will give opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a governing coalition after the Oct. 27 election, AP and Reuters reported. Eisenkot, a former military chief who leads the Yashar party, will receive the mandate at a ceremony Sunday at 5 p.m. in Jerusalem. He then has 28 days, and Herzog can add up to 14 more. If he fails, Netanyahu could get the next try, The Times of Israel reported.
By the numbers: Netanyahu's Likud and its allies won 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats. Eisenkot's bloc won 48, and two Arab-led alliances won 19, BBC/Reuters reported. In Herzog's consultations, Eisenkot got 67 recommendations to Netanyahu's 46. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, with 7 seats, recommended no one. A government needs 61 votes.
The hard part: No single bloc has 61 seats. Eisenkot and every party in his bloc but one pledged before the vote not to govern with the Arab-led parties, BBC reported. The Times of Israel says one path is his 48 seats plus United Torah Judaism's 7, with Shas's 6 lawmakers agreeing not to oppose, for a bare 61. Shas called those reports "total fake news." Herzog has told parties that "not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled."
Why it matters
The decision is a setback for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, AP reported. The next government will lead a country still reeling from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and three years of war in Gaza and beyond, AP noted. "This is the time to establish a national emergency government. I will do anything possible to prove us worthy," Eisenkot posted on X.
More context
Weak spot: Eisenkot's 67 recommendations are not a 61-seat coalition. They include the Arab-led parties that his bloc pledged not to govern with, BBC reported, and the one 61-seat path The Times of Israel describes depends on Shas, which called it "total fake news."
How each side responded: Netanyahu called in a video for a "national unity government" that keeps all his former coalition partners, The Times of Israel reported. He warned against a government backed by Arab parties, whom he called "terror supporters." Yashar called the video "hysterical." It said Likud could join an Eisenkot-led government if it drops "the extremists," but Eisenkot has said he will not serve with Netanyahu.
What would change the story: a deal with United Torah Judaism's rabbis, a Likud split from Netanyahu, or a rotation deal like the 2020 Netanyahu-Gantz power-sharing pact BBC cited as precedent.
4 listed sources
- BBC News (Reuters), Israel's president tasks opposition leader Eisenkot with forming government, Nov. 7, 2026
- The Times of Israel, President Herzog taps Eisenkot to form coalition, but path remains fraught, Nov. 8, 2026
- AP News in Brief, Israel's president taps opposition candidate Eisenkot to form a government, Nov. 7, 2026
- Anadolu Agency, Morning Briefing: Nov. 8, 2026
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Recommendation counts (67 for Eisenkot, 46 for Netanyahu, none from United Torah Judaism's 7 seats) are from the President's Office as reported by BBC/Reuters and The Times of Israel. Seat totals by bloc (53, 48 and 19) are from BBC/Reuters. The 61-seat scenario and Haredi party positions are from The Times of Israel, partly citing Israeli TV reports with unnamed sources. Times are local Israel time; 5 p.m. in Jerusalem is 7 a.m. PT.
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