Who will form Israel government? The three scenarios involving Eisenkot and Netanyahu
Indian Express - Explained · Published 6 November 2026 · Last updated
Following the October 27, 2026 national elections in Israel, opposition rival Gadi Eisenkot secured majority parliamentary endorsements, while incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces potential deadlock.
Key points
- On November 5, 2026, Gadi Eisenkot secured the backing of a majority of lawmakers to try to form a government after the Arab-majority Joint List formally endorsed his candidacy.
- Israel President Isaac Herzog announced on November 5, 2026, that he would nominate a government-formation candidate by Sunday following consultations with party representatives.
- Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot secured the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority in the 120-member Knesset during the October 27 national election.
- Netanyahu’s right-wing and ultra-Orthodox coalition won 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party and its allies secured 48 seats.
- Two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List (Ra’am party) with 8 seats and the Joint List with 11 seats, won an unprecedented 19 seats in total.
- With endorsements from both the Joint List and Ra’am, Eisenkot’s potential support reaches 67 lawmakers, surpassing the 61-seat majority threshold.
- President Herzog accepted the certified parliamentary election results as legally binding on October 29, 2026, rejecting unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud raised by Netanyahu’s bloc.
- The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party declined to recommend any candidate to President Herzog, leaving Netanyahu with the backing of only 46 lawmakers.
- Under Israel’s Basic Law, the designated candidate receives 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension granted by the president.
Background
- Between 2019 and 2020, Israel witnessed prolonged political deadlock and repeated elections where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed successive caretaker governments.
- Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, political rivals Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot joined Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency wartime government.
- In the October 27, 2026 national elections, Israeli voters weakened Netanyahu’s wider coalition while his Likud party emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats.
- President Isaac Herzog initiated consultations with party representatives after accepting the certified election results on October 29, 2026.
- Disputes over military-service exemptions for Haredi religious students strained relations between Netanyahu's Likud party and the ultra-Orthodox UTJ party.
UPSC relevance, Prelims facts and Mains angle for this issue are in the full SWAदेSH note.
Original report: Indian Express - Explained