Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot has begun the task of forming Israel's next government, reaching out to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies and saying he is open to including them in a national emergency government under his leadership. Eisenkot formally received the mandate from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, 8 November 2026, after a deadlocked election left no bloc with a majority.

Speaking at the ceremony at the president's residence in Jerusalem, Eisenkot said Israel was in a state of emergency and approaching a point of no return. He said a national emergency government was needed and that it would require creative and unconventional political steps. His door, he said, was open to anyone who understood the gravity of the moment.

An invitation to Likud and Religious Zionism

Eisenkot appealed directly to lawmakers from Netanyahu's Likud party and to the far-right Religious Zionism party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, inviting them to support a government led by him if they accepted the principles he has set out. He said that if members of Likud and Religious Zionism truly believed this was a time for unity, as they had told the president, he could see no reason why they would not support a government under his leadership.

The offer is striking because Eisenkot ran as Netanyahu's main rival and has vowed to replace Israel's longest-serving prime minister. Netanyahu, for his part, called on Saturday night for a national unity government, although it remains unclear whether the two rivals could agree on a power-sharing arrangement. Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister until a new government wins a confidence vote in the Knesset.

The numbers Eisenkot must solve

Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension from the president. A government needs 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats. In the 27 October election, Eisenkot's four-party alliance won 48 seats, while Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc secured 53, leaving both short of a majority. Likud, with 27 seats, was the largest single party, ahead of Eisenkot's Yashar party on 21.

Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties, whose 19 seats would give him a 67-seat bloc, and he has set conditions for any Arab party involvement, including recognising Israel as a Jewish state and declaring Hamas a terrorist organisation. His remaining routes include a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu, an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties, or support from Arab parties on key votes without a formal coalition.

Eisenkot, 66, also acknowledged what he called a devastating diplomatic crisis, saying even Israel's closest friends and strategic allies were saying their relationship with Israel must be reassessed. Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court, a fact Eisenkot and Herzog both acknowledged in their remarks. If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the time allowed, Herzog may offer the mandate to someone else, possibly Netanyahu. Lanka Leader and Daily Courier reported the developments.