Outgoing Israeli Government Continues Until New Cabinet is Formed

Following the 26th Knesset elections held on Tuesday, Israel's outgoing government will continue to serve until a new government is sworn in and receives a vote of confidence from the Knesset. This means Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his current cabinet ministers will remain in their positions during the coalition negotiation period, which could last for several weeks.

According to Basic Law: The Government, the outgoing government fulfills its duties until the new government is established. New ministers officially take office only after the Knesset expresses confidence in the new government. A minister in the outgoing government who was not elected to the new Knesset can continue to serve, as Israeli law only requires the Prime Minister to be a Knesset member; other ministers are not mandated to be members of the Knesset.

The process of forming a new government, from the President assigning the task to the final confidence vote, can take up to 42 days for the initial candidate, and potentially longer if a second candidate is needed. Separately, the Knesset will elect a new Speaker and deputies from among its members. Until this election, the outgoing Knesset Speaker will continue to preside over sessions. The timing of this election is not fixed by law and typically depends on the formation of a majority within the new Knesset.