Herzog Hands Eisenkot Mandate to Form Israeli Government Backed by 67 Lawmakers, Pushing Netanyahu Aside
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will give Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot a formal mandate on 8 November to form a government supported by 67 Knesset members, leaving Benjamin Netanyahu with only 46 backers and 28 days, plus a possible short extension, for Eisenkot to turn that majority into a working coalition.
Israel is heading into a compressed and highly charged coalition process after President Isaac Herzog decided to task Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government on the strength of clear parliamentary support.
Herzog has announced that Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party and is a former senior military commander, will receive the mandate to form a government after consultations showed he has the backing of 67 lawmakers. Netanyahu’s bloc, by contrast, mustered support from 46 members of the Knesset.
Several reports from Israeli and regional outlets specify the timetable. Eisenkot is due to receive the mandate on Sunday, 8 November, at 17:00. From then, he will have 28 days to negotiate and present a coalition for parliamentary approval. If talks stall, there is an option for a 14‑day extension.
Those numbers give Eisenkot room to assemble a majority on paper, but the real test lies in converting that advantage into concrete agreements on ministerial posts and policy lines. Parties whose support helped deliver the 67 endorsements will now seek influence over key portfolios and over decisions on security, the economy and the balance between religion and state.
For ordinary Israelis, the process will determine who signs off on military operations, budgets and domestic reforms at a time of heightened tension. A government led by a former army chief could bring a different tone to security debates, but it will still be constrained by the internal bargaining needed to hold a diverse coalition together.
Internationally, the move is being read as a sign that a majority in the Knesset wants alternative leadership to Benjamin Netanyahu. Governments that have clashed with Netanyahu in recent years over issues such as settlement expansion and institutional changes will watch closely to see whether an Eisenkot‑led cabinet shifts priorities or style.
At the same time, Netanyahu has signaled he does not intend to quietly fade from the scene. His camp has said it will not recognize the incoming government, a stance that, if carried through, could cast a shadow over Eisenkot’s early decisions and feed a narrative that his mandate is politically fragile despite the numbers.
The immediate indicators to track are which parties commit to Eisenkot in formal coalition agreements during the first weeks of talks, how quickly he names candidates for critical posts such as defense and foreign affairs, and whether Netanyahu’s bloc confines its resistance to parliamentary opposition or seeks to mobilize support outside the Knesset.
Herzog’s handover of the mandate on 8 November will mark the formal start of that 28‑day clock and provide the first public signals of how Eisenkot and his rivals intend to navigate the coming confrontation.
Sources
- OSINT