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Herzog to Task Eisenkot With Forming Government Sunday Amid Coalition Doubts

President Isaac Herzog announced on Thursday that he will task a lawmaker with forming Israel's next government on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The decision follows the conclusion of consultations with all elected factions of the 26th Knesset. During the consultations, Gadi Eisenkot received recommendations from 67 Knesset members, while incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was backed by 46 members. The United Torah Judaism party abstained from making a recommendation.

6 newsrooms · 3 languages · since 5 Nov, 21:52

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Herzog to Task Eisenkot With Forming Government Sunday Amid Coalition Doubts — Illustration by baba

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What happened

01President Isaac Herzog will assign the mandate to form a government on Sunday, November 8, 2026, following the conclusion of consultations.
02Gadi Eisenkot secured recommendations from 67 Knesset members, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received backing from 46 members.
03The United Torah Judaism party abstained from recommending any candidate for the premiership during the presidential consultations.
04President Herzog expressed doubts about the actual ability to form a stable government due to mutual disqualifications among the political blocs.
05Herzog plans to hold direct, personal talks with party leaders in the coming days to explore viable coalition options.
06Eisenkot was recommended by Yisrael Beiteinu, Democrats, Ra'am, and the Joint List, while Netanyahu was backed by Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, and Shas.
07Eisenkot's party welcomed the recommendations and warned that failing to establish a coalition could force costly new elections.

Despite the clear majority of recommendations for Eisenkot, President Herzog expressed uncertainty about any candidate's actual ability to assemble a stable coalition. He noted that mutual disqualifications and refusals to cooperate both within and between political blocs make the path forward unclear. To address these challenges, Herzog plans to hold personal, direct talks with party leaders over the coming days, stating he intends to turn over every stone to facilitate a stable government.

Eisenkot was recommended by factions including Yisrael Beiteinu, Democrats, Ra'am, and the Joint List, according to Globes, while Hamal and Israel National News identified his party as Yesh! and Yashar, respectively. Netanyahu was backed by Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, and Shas. Eisenkot's party welcomed the recommendations, declaring that citizens voted for change and warning that a failure to form a government could lead to costly new elections.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 4 newsrooms. Updated 01:51