Gadi Eisenkot
Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, has selected opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to lead efforts to form a new government following a deadlocked parliamentary election that left neither major political bloc with a clear majority.
The decision, announced on Saturday, November 7, 2026, represents a major setback for incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose governing coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the October 27 election.
Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief and leader of the Yashar party, emerged as the preferred candidate during consultations with political parties.
67 of the Knesset’s 120 members recommended Eisenkot, against 46 for Netanyahu. Two Arab-led political parties; the Palestinian (“Arab”) parties, the Joint List and Ra’am, which collectively hold 19 seats, endorsed Eisenkot, potentially giving him the parliamentary support needed to form a government.
However, his position on working with Arab parties has complicated the negotiations, butEisenkot will have 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a further 14-day extension, even as Netanyahu remains interim Prime Minister, awaiting the formation of the new government by Eisenkot.
Other parties can join “immediately or gradually,” Eisenkot wrote Friday, but only if they sign his four principles of a proposed “national emergency government” open to any party or Knesset member who accepts his four principles.:
* Recognition of Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state.”
* Acceptance of the values of Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
* A duty of service for all, military, national or civil.
* Recognition of Hamas as a “terrorist organization.”
Eisenkot said the Palestinian parties haven’t met those conditions, but he will approach all Knesset factions and invite their members to become partners. He cannot form a majority without the Arab-led parties, and these conditions are, in effect, a message to them.
If he fails, another candidate could be given the opportunity, and continued failure could eventually trigger another election.
The development marks a significant political turning point in Israel, as Netanyahu faces the possibility of losing power after years at the helm of the country’s government.
The coming weeks will determine whether Eisenkot can unite the divided political blocs and bring an end to Israel’s political deadlock.
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