Isaac Herzog tasks Gadi Eisenkot with forming Israel government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog decided to entrust Gadi Eisenkot with the task of forming the next government, setting the stage for a potential shift that could unseat the nation's longest-serving leader, according to reporting from Adnkronos via Jiji Press. The official handover takes place at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 5 PM, following consultations with representatives of the factions of the 26th Knesset after the legislative elections held on October 27, 2026.

Political maneuvering intensified after Herzog concluded consultations with parliamentary factions. NewsCord reported that Eisenkot secured 67 recommendations among the 120 Knesset members. In contrast, 46 MPs asked Herzog to entrust outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while seven lawmakers chose not to recommend any candidate at all. Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party and serves as Netanyahu's main rival, posted on X following the announcement: Now is the time to form a national emergency government. He vowed to do everything in his power to succeed.

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The arithmetic behind the coalition talks remains precarious. Eisenkot’s four-party alliance won 48 seats, while Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc secured 53 seats, leaving both camps short of the 61-seat threshold required for a parliamentary majority. Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats and endorsed Eisenkot, with Joint List senior member Ahmad Tibi telling Al Jazeera that the decision was expected and that Arab-led parties endorsed Eisenkot for the mandate, granting him what Tibi described as a considerable margin. Despite this, Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government directly with the Arab-led factions. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh observed that the hard work begins immediately for Eisenkot to assemble a surviving coalition against the opposition of Netanyahu's right-wing bloc.

Netanyahu fiercely resisted the transition in a video message highlighted by Il Sole 24 ORE, warning that any coalition between the opposition and Arab parties would trigger the country's collapse. Netanyahu claimed that a government dependent on Islamists would dismantle the State of Israel from within, as is happening in European countries, and to an even greater extent. Heading a caretaker administration where his coalition fell short of a majority, Netanyahu called on the Change Bloc parties to join a national unity government alongside his previous allies from the ultra-nationalist factions of Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit, ultra-Orthodox parties, and Likud. He argued that such a coalition is necessary to permanently remove the Iranian nuclear threat.

The domestic political upheaval unfolds against a backdrop of severe humanitarian strain in the region. Heavy rainfall flooded roughly 70,000 tents across the Gaza Strip over a 12-hour window on Saturday, November 7, 2026, prompting the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to demand that winter supplies be allowed into the enclave immediately. PNA Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan issued an urgent appeal to the international community, stating that the flooding represents a growing threat to public health rather than a temporary winter crisis.

Eisenkot faces a strict constitutional timeline following the formal appointment at the President's Residence. The mandate provides a 28-day window to forge a workable coalition, subject to a potential 14-day extension granted by the president. Failure to secure a parliamentary majority risks plunging the country into fresh legislative elections, with Eisenkot facing his first legislative tests on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.