Gadi Eisenkot Given Mandate to Form Israeli Government

President Isaac Herzog formally tasked former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief Gadi Eisenkot with forming a new government on 8 November 2026, after parliamentary factions representing a 67‑member majority recommended him during consultations. Eisenkot, who leads the centrist Yashar party, now has 28 days to build a governing coalition, with the option of a 14‑day extension.

Coalition math and political obstacles

Eisenkot acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead and framed his bid as a national rescue operation. He warned that Israel faces “one of the most vulnerable moments of Israeli democracy” and said that “Israel needs new leadership like oxygen to breathe. Israel needs a new government.”

The balance of power in the 120‑seat Knesset leaves no single bloc able to govern alone. Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, remains the largest party with 27 seats, while Eisenkot’s centrist list won 21 seats. The four‑party alliance that supports Eisenkot holds 48 seats and would likely need outside backing from the Joint List and the Ra'am party — together accounting for 19 seats — to secure a stable majority.

Eisenkot appealed directly to other parties to join or support a governing arrangement. “Anyone who tries to prevent the formation of a government for personal reasons will be remembered in history as someone who failed to save Israel when it most needed saving,” he said, an apparent reference to Netanyahu and his backers. He added that the country is in an emergency and warned: “We are approaching a point of no return for Israel.”

President Herzog highlighted Eisenkot’s military record and personal sacrifice when handing over the mandate: “Your face bears decades‑old bullet scars from command and combat, and your soul carries the heaviest scar of all, the highest price paid by you and your family with the death of your beloved son Gal and two grandchildren in the war. The State of Israel needs a stable government capable of addressing these challenges over the long term.”

Forming a coalition will be difficult. The centrist bloc failed to secure an outright majority in last month’s elections, and cooperation with Arab parties is politically contentious within parts of Eisenkot’s camp. Analysts note that a similarly diverse coalition unseated Netanyahu in 2021 but collapsed after a little more than a year.

If Eisenkot cannot reach agreements within the allotted time, the mandate would be passed by the president to another Knesset member for a 28‑day attempt to form a government.

Photo: EPA/ABIR SULTAN