But he will have to overcome more formidable trials, including the breaking of election promises, if he is to replace Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister who lost his coalition’s majority in the election on October 27th. GADI EISENKOT cleared the first hurdle on his path to power on November 8th when Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, gave him the mandate to form a new government.
Yisrael Beiteinu won only seven seats in the election, but Mr Lieberman still fancies himself as both a coalition builder and future prime minister. In a short ceremony at the president’s residence, Mr Eisenkot conceded that “no one can stand for all the commitments they made. We will all have to make compromises. Neither Arab nor Jewish ultra-Orthodox parties would formally be part of his coalition—at least to start with—but they would offer support when needed. Mr Eisenkot’s rationale is that removing Mr Netanyahu is the most urgent priority. In recent weeks the prime minister has tried to drag Israel into another war with Iran and urged the head of the country’s secret service to investigate the Arab votes and disqualify the election results. A minority government would be a way of avoiding the tricky compromises while leaving open the possibility that Arab or ultra-Orthodox parties could formally join the coalition at a later date. Chief among them is Avigdor Lieberman, of the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party. Mr Lieberman began his political career nearly four decades ago as an assistant to Mr Netanyahu but he has now sworn to end his rule. He has begun his own freelance operation, negotiating with the ultra-Orthodox parties. He has ruled out being part of a minority government, especially if that would mean relying on support from Arab parties. The prime minister’s fallback is to try to stymie the opposition’s coalition-building. He warned that “with a government such as this Israel simply will not survive. He will need his wits about him if he is yet to fulfill his election promise and replace Mr Netanyahu.
But the four main Jewish opposition parties only hold 48 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Earlier reporting noted: Gadi Eisenkot officially gets first chance to form Israel’s next government Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, on the day Herzog hands him the mandate to form a new government following the general election, at the president’s residence in Jerusalem, November 8, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Earlier reporting noted: Israeli opposition leader and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot was on Sunday formally tasked by President Isaac Herzog with forming the country’s next government after the October 27 parliamentary elections resulted in a fractured mandate.
He hopes to swear in a minority “emergency” government, formed of four Jewish opposition parties. On November 7th Mr Netanyahu called for a unity government, which presumably he would lead, instead of “a government relying on Islamists that will dismantle Israel from within”. Mr Eisenkot’s response was to describe the prime minister as “hysterical”.
To form a coalition with a majority would mean lengthy negotiations and he has only six weeks before the president asks someone else to try forming a government. Earlier reporting noted: This came a day after Herzog designated Eisenkot, the main challenger to outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , to form the next government.
