End of Netanyahu Era? Eisenkot Gets President’s Nod to Form Govt

BY PC Bureau

November 8— In a significant political setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday evening, November 7, 2026, that he will formally task Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country’s next government.

Herzog informed both Eisenkot and Netanyahu of his decision after holding additional consultations over the weekend with figures across the political spectrum. The formal ceremony will take place tomorrow (Sunday, November 8) at 5 p.m. at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, according to an official statement from the President’s Residence.

Eisenkot, a former IDF Chief of Staff who leads the centrist Yashar party, will then have 28 days to assemble a governing coalition. Herzog is authorized to grant a one-time extension of up to 14 days if needed.

The Recommendations That Sealed the Decision

During Herzog’s consultations with party delegations representing all 120 incoming Knesset members on Wednesday and Thursday, Eisenkot received recommendations from factions totaling 67 lawmakers. Netanyahu received 46. The seven-member United Torah Judaism (UTJ) faction made no recommendation to either side.

This recommendation tally proved decisive. Under Israeli law, the president is not strictly bound by the numbers but is expected to task the candidate with the best chance of forming a viable government. Herzog’s decision follows the inconclusive results of the October 27, 2026, general election.

🚨BREAKING: Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is set to receive the mandate to form Israel’s next government after securing the backing of 67 lawmakers, ending Benjamin Netanyahu’s long grip on power following the October 27 election.

Eisenkot, a career military leader who previously served as IDF Chief of Staff and sat in the war cabinet after the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, lost his 25-year-old son Gal Meir Eisenkot in combat in northern Gaza in December 2023.

Gal, a reservist in an elite commando unit, was killed by a Hamas explosive device near a tunnel in Jabalia while taking part in operations to dismantle the group’s infrastructure.

The next day, Eisenkot’s nephew, 19-year-old Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot of the Golani Brigade, was also killed in fighting in southern Gaza. Nearly a year later, another nephew, Capt. Yogev Pazy, 22, fell in combat in northern Gaza as well.

The personal cost has defined Eisenkot’s push for leadership. He has spoken openly about the grief of losing his youngest son and two nephews to the same enemy, saying the losses strengthened his resolve to ensure their sacrifice was not in vain and to deliver a clearer path to dismantling Hamas’s rule.

During the campaign he pledged that Hamas would no longer govern Gaza within 18 months of him taking office, either through the framework already accepted by the current government or through continued military and operational pressure.

President Isaac Herzog is expected to formally task Eisenkot with forming a government this weekend after the majority of Knesset members recommended him over Netanyahu.

Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister for now, but the political math has shifted decisively against his coalition. Eisenkot’s path still requires building a workable majority amid vetoes and ideological divides, yet the mandate itself marks a major break from the post-October 7 status quo.

For Hamas, the prospect of Eisenkot leading Israel is a different kind of threat. He is not a career politician who rose through coalition bargaining. He is a former top general who has already paid the highest personal price in the war, whose family members were killed by the same terrorist organization, and who has made the end of Hamas rule in Gaza an explicit, time-bound commitment.

The group spent years calculating the political and military constraints of the previous government. A leadership shaped by those exact battlefield losses is not one they have fully priced in.

— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) November 7, 2026

Election Backdrop: A Divided Knesset

The election left Israel’s political landscape fragmented. Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc secured approximately 53 seats, falling short of the 61 needed for a majority. Eisenkot’s broader Zionist opposition bloc (including Yashar with 21 seats, Naftali Bennett’s Together, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Democrats) held around 48 seats. Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats.

Neither major camp emerged with a clear path to power. Netanyahu’s Likud remained the largest single party, but the overall result marked a rejection of the outgoing “October 7 government” in the eyes of many voters, with high turnout and strong gains for Arab parties and centrist forces seeking change.

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The Road Ahead for Eisenkot

Eisenkot has framed the moment as a national emergency, calling for a broad “national emergency government.” He has outlined core principles for potential partners, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, acceptance of the values in the Declaration of Independence, mandatory national service (military, national, or civilian) for all citizens, and treating Hamas as a terrorist organization to be dismantled.

However, forming a stable majority of at least 61 seats will be challenging. Eisenkot has ruled out relying primarily on Arab parties for a governing coalition, despite their recommendations. Winning over ultra-Orthodox parties such as UTJ or Shas would be difficult given his insistence on universal service, which those parties strongly oppose. He could attempt a minority government that survives a confidence vote, or seek selective support from outside his core bloc.

If Eisenkot fails within the allotted time, the mandate would typically pass to another candidate (likely Netanyahu). Further failure could lead to a third attempt by the Knesset or, ultimately, new elections, with Netanyahu remaining as caretaker prime minister in the interim.

Political Significance

This is the closest Netanyahu—Israel’s longest-serving prime minister—has come to losing power in recent years. The decision ends weeks of uncertainty following the election and shifts the initiative to his main rival. Eisenkot has pledged to move quickly, emphasizing the need for responsible leadership amid ongoing security challenges, including the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks and regional tensions.

Netanyahu, who earlier floated the idea of a unity government, now faces the prospect of returning to the opposition benches if Eisenkot succeeds. Coalition negotiations are expected to intensify immediately after the formal mandate is handed over on Sunday.

The coming weeks will test whether Israel’s deeply divided political system can produce a stable government or whether the country is headed toward yet another election cycle.