Israel’s president tasks opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming next government

Following Israel's October 27 election, where neither incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot secured a majority, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has handed Eisenkot the opportunity to form the next government. At a ceremony in Jerusalem, Herzog formally tasked Eisenkot with creating a government within 28 days.

If necessary, Herzog can grant Eisenkot an additional 14 days to finalize his coalition. During these consultations, parties representing 67 lawmakers recommended Eisenkot for the task, while 46 advocated for Netanyahu. The United Torah Judaism, which secured seven seats during the election, remained undecided on its stance. Born in 1966, Eisenkot previously held the position of chief of staff in the Israel Defence Forces from 2015 to 2019 before transitioning into politics in 2022.

He served alongside Netanyahu in the war cabinet following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, before stepping down in June 2024 along with Benny Gantz to co-found Yashar in 2025. The election results revealed Likud securing 27 seats with 20.51% of the valid vote, followed by Yashar with 21 seats and 16.05% of the vote. Be’Yahad received 12 seats, while the Joint List and Ra'am gathered 11 and 8 seats respectively.

Other parties like the Democrats, United Arab List (Ra'am), Yisrael Beitenu, Otzma Yehudit, United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Religious Zionism–Zehut each won seven, six, and six seats respectively. Together, the Arab-led parties won 19 seats, endorsing Eisenkot's candidacy during Herzog's consultations. However, the future backing of these parties for the government Eisenkot assembles remains uncertain.

Avigdor Liberman, a member of Yisrael Beitenu and part of Eisenkot's coalition, has voiced his opposition to a government reliant on Arab-led parties. Should Eisenkot successfully form a government, it will be required to pass a confidence vote in the Knesset, where it needs more votes in favor than against. Notably, Netanyahu and his current cabinet will continue to serve in a caretaker role until the newly formed government assumes power.