Eisenkot Gets Mandate To Form Israel Government, Netanyahu Fights For Survival

Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to retain power suffered a setback as Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked former army chief and head of the Yashar party Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country's next government, following an election that left no bloc with a clear majority.

Backed by 67 lawmakers, Eisenkot now has 28 days to build a coalition and potentially unseat Israel's longest-serving prime minister.

Herzog made the call after meeting the parties in the Knesset, Israel's 120-seat parliament. The October 27 election left the country with a split result and no bloc anywhere near a majority. Eisenkot now gets the first shot at a coalition, and with it a chance to end Netanyahu's long hold on Israeli politics.

The mandate will be handed over at a ceremony at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, November 8, at 5 pm local time. Herzog also spoke with Netanyahu and Eisenkot before deciding, and told both men he planned to pick Eisenkot.

The Numbers

The consultations weren't close. Sixty-seven lawmakers recommended Eisenkot. Forty-six backed Netanyahu. Seven recommended no one.

Eisenkot's 67 break down like this: 48 from the Change Bloc, seven from the Arab party Ra'am and 12 from the Joint List. Netanyahu got his right-wing and religious allies. The seven members of United Torah Judaism (UTJ) sat it out.

That says something. Netanyahu is still a heavyweight, but more lawmakers were willing to back an alternative under Eisenkot than to stand behind him.

Still, recommendations aren't a majority you can govern with.

Who Is Eisenkot, And What Comes Next

Eisenkot is a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff who went into politics in 2022. He became Netanyahu's main rival in this election, running a campaign that pulled in parties from the centre-left to the right. What held them together, mostly, was opposition to Netanyahu.

His Yashar party finished second with 21 seats, and the wider Change Bloc won 48. The two Arab-led factions, which together took a record 19 seats, recommended him to Herzog. Their votes decided it.

Now comes the hard part. The Arab parties say they'd back an alternative to Netanyahu from outside the government rather than join it. Even so, relying on them is touchy, and several parties in Eisenkot's own camp don't want to depend on Arab lawmakers to get there.

The ultra-Orthodox parties could matter too. UTJ's refusal to recommend Netanyahu opens a door, though fights over military conscription could slam it shut again.

Eisenkot has a few paths. He could lead a minority government propped up by Arab lawmakers from the outside, cut a deal with the ultra-Orthodox parties, or aim for a broader national unity government. Each one has its problems.

Netanyahu Isn't Backing Down

Netanyahu hasn't conceded. The caretaker prime minister is still pushing for a national unity government, and he's warned against any government that relies on Arab-led parties, calling them supporters of terrorism. It's one of the sharpest divides in the post-election talks.

Eisenkot's party fired back, criticising Netanyahu for painting Arab lawmakers as a security threat. It also urged Likud members to rethink their alliance with far-right partners.

All of this plays out against deep splits over the Gaza war, national security, the future of the military and Netanyahu's leadership itself.

Eisenkot sat briefly in Netanyahu's wartime cabinet after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, then went back to the opposition. He's since become one of Netanyahu's loudest critics over how the war was run, and he's ruled out serving in any government Netanyahu leads. His security record has been the backbone of his pitch. If he pulls it off, he'd be Israel's first Mizrahi prime minister, from the community with roots in the Middle East and North Africa.

Photo Credit: AFP

If Eisenkot Fails

Once he formally accepts the mandate from Herzog, Eisenkot has 28 days to put together a coalition. The president can add 14 more if needed.

If he can't do it, the mandate could go to someone else who might be able to win enough support. Netanyahu could get another turn, depending on how things play out. And if attempt after attempt fails, Israel could be heading to another election, possibly in early 2027.

For now, Herzog's choice is a big moment. Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, now faces the real possibility of losing office after his coalition lost its majority.

Eisenkot's job is just as tough. Winning 67 recommendations was the easy bit. Building a coalition that survives its first real argument will be much harder.

The question is no longer just whether Netanyahu can hang on. It's whether the forces that united against him can agree on what to do next.