Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has endorsed opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form Israel's next government, in the first concrete step towards breaking the deadlock left by last week's inconclusive election.

Bennett said his B'Yachad, or Together, party will recommend Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, to President Isaac Herzog. Bennett said he had promised throughout the campaign to respect the voters' decision and was now acting accordingly, and that he had personally informed Eisenkot of the decision. Eisenkot thanked him, saying together they would bring Israel back to the right path.

The seat arithmetic

Neither main bloc won the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, the opposition parties won 48, and Arab-led parties won a record 19. By party, Likud won 27 seats, Yashar 21, Together 12, the Democrats eight, the Joint List 11 and Ra'am eight. Opposition and Arab-party recommendations together could reach 67, but Bennett and others have drawn red lines against Arab parties sitting in government, so a majority government is not yet assured.

President Herzog is due to receive the official election results on 4 November and begin consultations with party factions the same day, with the newly elected Knesset scheduled to be sworn in on 10 November. Whoever Herzog designates will then have an initial 28 days to try to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension.

Sources: The Media Line, 2 November 2026; ANI, 2 November 2026, via APNA; Anadolu Agency.