Herzog tasks Eisenkot with forming Israeli government

08.11.2026 06:01 HotInfo

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a new government. He formally handed him the mandate on Sunday following elections in which no political bloc won a majority in the Knesset. BBC News ↗

Eisenkot, a former chief of the Israeli military and chairman of the centrist Yashar party, has 28 days to form a government. He is short 13 seats to secure a majority. The president held talks with all political parties before making his decision. n-tv ↗

The newly appointed government-builder will need to negotiate primarily with Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties. One option is a minority government relying on external support from Arab lawmakers. Demonstrators have called for a coalition including Arab parties. La Repubblica ↗

Eisenkot's political camp is also negotiating cooperation with ultra-Orthodox parties. The opposition leader stated that coalition talks are progressing. Outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the formation of a national unity government, which could influence further negotiations. n-tv ↗

However, support from Arab parties does not necessarily mean they will join the government. The leader of the main Arab list, Yusef Yabarín, said that by backing Eisenkot they had, in his view, chosen the "least bad" option. Ta'al party chairman Ahmad Tibi declared his readiness to offer external support. Eisenkot must now assemble a coalition capable of winning the parliament's confidence. El Pais ↗