Presidential Deliberations and the Government Mandate
Israeli President Isaac Herzog faces the task of choosing a candidate to attempt forming Israel's next government following an inconclusive election. Following the October 27 parliamentary election, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor opposition leader Eisenkot achieved the 61-seat majority required to form a government in the 120-seat Knesset.
Consultations between President Herzog and parliamentary factions concluded on Thursday, resulting in 67 lawmakers recommending Eisenkot, compared with 46 recommendations for Netanyahu. The Yashar party highlighted that Eisenkot received the largest number of recommendations for any prime ministerial hopeful since 2015, describing Netanyahu as a caretaker prime minister heading a minority. However, President Herzog announced that he had not yet assigned the mandate. Herzog stated that despite the recommendation totals, "mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves" created significant uncertainty regarding whether any leader could build a viable administration. Herzog confirmed he would hold further discussions over the weekend and officially designate a nominee on Sunday.
Coalition Divisions and Majority Requirements
The recommendation tally does not equate to an operational government. Netanyahu's religious-nationalist alliance secured 53 seats, while Eisenkot's bloc of four Jewish-led parties holds 48 seats. The remaining 19 seats were won by two parties representing Israel's Arab minority: Ra'am and the Joint List. While both Arab-led parties endorsed Eisenkot during presidential consultations to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power, Eisenkot has explicitly ruled out including them in his governing coalition.
Eisenkot demanded specific policy concessions before considering cooperation, including a requirement that Arab-led parties recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. While Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas expressed support for disarming Hamas, he declined to apply the terror designation. Simultaneously, Netanyahu's camp suffered defections when United Torah Judaism, a longtime ally holding seven seats, withheld its endorsement over the failure to pass military conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men. Because Eisenkot refuses to govern alongside the Arab-led factions and Shas endorsed Netanyahu, neither leader possesses a finalized majority agreement.
Constitutional Procedure for Government Formation
Once President Herzog designates a nominee on Sunday, that figure is granted an initial 28-day window to negotiate a formal coalition, with the possibility of a 14-day extension. If that nominee fails to assemble a government, the president may grant a second figure 28 days. Should that attempt also collapse, a majority of Knesset members may endorse a third lawmaker within a final 14-day period.
Benjamin Netanyahu currently remains in office as caretaker prime minister, and Eisenkot has neither been appointed to the premiership nor sworn in.