Sunday, 8 November 2026 | Web Desk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JERUSALEM<\/strong> \u2013 Israeli President Isaac Herzog has invited former military chief and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a new government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to secure a ruling majority following the October 27 elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Israeli media, President Herzog will formally task Eisenkot with forming the government on Sunday evening, giving him 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move comes after Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist bloc secured only 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, falling short of the 61-seat majority required to govern. Eisenkot’s opposition bloc, consisting of four centre-left to right-wing Jewish-led parties, won 48 seats, while Arab parties won an unprecedented 19 seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Netanyahu Rejects Unity Government, Warns of Civil War<\/p>\n\n\n\n Netanyahu has rejected calls for a unity government under Eisenkot’s leadership, instead demanding a national emergency government that includes all parties from his current coalition alongside “all Zionist parties”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a video statement, Netanyahu warned that a government reliant on Arab party support would not fight Hamas or protect Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A government that depends on Hamas supporters will not fight Hamas,” Netanyahu said, adding that with such a government, “Israel simply will not survive”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also raised the spectre of civil unrest, claiming that the riots seen in European cities in recent weeks could erupt in Israel if a government backed by Arab parties is formed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eisenkot’s Yashar party dismissed Netanyahu’s appeal as a “hysterical speech” and a “pathetic political maneuver,” stating that Netanyahu only speaks of unity because he realizes his days in office are numbered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s Next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eisenkot now faces the difficult task of forging a 61-seat majority. His potential pathways include forming a minority government with outside Arab support, allying with ultra-Orthodox parties he has previously shunned, or building a unity government with Likud \u2014 though all options are considered unlikely by analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Eisenkot fails, President Herzog may task another candidate, or the Knesset could dissolve and trigger new elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gadi Eisenkot tasked with forming Israel’s new government<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gadi Eisenkot, leader of Israel’s Yashar party and former military chief, being tasked by President Isaac Herzog to form a new government<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday, 8 November 2026 | Web Desk JERUSALEM \u2013 Israeli President Isaac Herzog has invited former military chief and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a new government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to secure a ruling majority following the October 27 elections. According to Israeli media, President Herzog will formally task Eisenkot with …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[709,275,711,713,710,706,714,708,707,712],"class_list":["post-8383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-international","tag-arab-parties","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-coalition-formation","tag-gadi-eisenkot","tag-isaac-herzog","tag-israel-election-2026","tag-israeli-politics","tag-israeli-president","tag-knesset","tag-yashar-party"],"yoast_head":"\n