Israeli President Isaac Herzog designated opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot on Saturday night to form the country's next governing coalition following the Oct. 27 election.
Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, led the primary opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The presidential decision followed weeklong consultations in which delegates representing a majority of political factions advised tapping Eisenkot for the role. Herzog announced the mandate earlier than an expected Sunday timeline, moving shortly after Netanyahu released a video appealing for a national unity cabinet.
The Parliamentary Arithmetic
Official returns in the 120-seat Knesset left both primary camps short of an outright 61-seat governing threshold. Netanyahu's political camp secured 53 seats, the four primary anti-Netanyahu opposition parties captured 48 seats, and Arab-majority parties took 19 seats. Together, Eisenkot's four-party bloc and the Arab factions control 67 seats, giving them an absolute legislative majority once the parliament convenes.
Leaders of the two largest Arab factions have stated they are prepared to back Eisenkot's bloc to displace Netanyahu, even though most Jewish opposition parties pledged before the vote not to depend on Arab-led backing. Eisenkot has stated he is ready to hold talks with Arab-led parties if they formally declare Hamas a terrorist organization that must be dismantled. Eisenkot's party, Yashar, also publicly urged members of Netanyahu's Likud party to break with far-right settler and ultra-Orthodox partners.
Caretaker Status and Next Steps
Netanyahu asserted without evidence that foreign Arab governments interfered in the balloting. In response, Din Livne, the acting director-general of the Central Elections Committee, stated in a formal letter on Thursday that election authorities found no evidence showing systematic tampering with the vote.
Netanyahu, who received an explicit endorsement from US President Donald Trump during the campaign, will remain caretaker prime minister while coalition talks proceed. If Eisenkot cannot finalize a viable governing coalition and no alternate arrangement succeeds, Israel will face repeat elections.
