On a Saturday in November, Israel's president handed the task of assembling a government to Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition figure whose path to power is narrow and uncertain. The October election, the country's latest test of a fractured democracy, gave no camp a clear majority, leaving the 120-seat Knesset divided between a prime minister's bloc short of its goal and an opposition that cannot yet govern alone. It is a moment that asks whether rivals who have spent years opposing one another can find common ground in a country under pressure from war and regional threat. Whether that ground can
Herzog Taps Eisenkot to Form Government After Divided Vote, a Setback for Netanyahu
Likud finished first, but the arithmetic stopped eight seats short of a government.
Mark
Likud won the most seats, yet Netanyahu didn't get the first call. Why?
Mimi
Because the president asks who can command a majority, not who finished first. Herzog's consultations found factions with 67 lawmakers recommending Eisenkot and 46 backing Netanyahu.
Mark
And Netanyahu's bloc ended up where?
Mimi
At 53 seats, eight short of the 61 needed. Likud's 27 is the largest single total, but it doesn't add up to a government.
Luke
Worth being careful, though. Those 67 are recommendations, not commitments to sit in a coalition. The reporting doesn't tell us who has promised what.
Mark
So what is Eisenkot's real arithmetic problem?
Mimi
His bloc has 48 seats. The Arab-led parties have 19. Together that clears 61, which is why his stated conditions for working with them matter.
Luke
He has said he could work with them if they recognise Hamas as a terrorist organisation and commit to its destruction. Nothing here says those parties have agreed to that, or even been formally asked.
Mark
Netanyahu called for a unity government. How seriously should we take that?
Mimi
He framed it around security, Iran in particular, and warned against a government with terrorist supporters. The opposition, including Yair Golan, rejected it outright.
Luke
Right, and the terrorist-supporters line is described as an apparent reference to the Arab-led parties. That's the report's reading, not an explicit naming.
Mark
What's the clock?
Mimi
Twenty-eight days, with a possible two-week extension. After that, fresh elections become a real possibility.
Der Puls
- Netanyahu's bloc fell eight seats short of the 61 needed, and the outcome has landed as a visible setback for the prime minister.
- Eisenkot holds the mandate but not the numbers, with his 48 seats far from a majority and the Arab-led parties' 19 seats a contested path.
- Conditions for cooperation, especially recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organisation, have sharpened the divide between camps.
- The clock is running: 28 days, with a possible two-week extension, before the talks could collapse into another national election.
On a Saturday in November, Israel's president handed the task of assembling a government to Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition figure whose path to power is narrow and uncertain. The October election, the country's latest test of a fractured democracy, gave no camp a clear majority, leaving the 120-seat Knesset divided between a prime minister's bloc short of its goal and an opposition that cannot yet govern alone. It is a moment that asks whether rivals who have spent years opposing one another can find common ground in a country under pressure from war and regional threat. Whether that ground can be found, and at what price, remains the open question.
On Saturday, President Isaac Herzog gave Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to build Israel's next government. The October 27 election had left the Knesset without a clear majority, and the result stung Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud won the most seats but whose wider bloc still fell short.
The arithmetic is stark. Likud took 27 seats, yet Netanyahu's allies reached only 53 of the 61 needed. Eisenkot's opposition bloc holds 48, and the Arab-led parties hold 19. Parties representing 67 lawmakers backed Eisenkot for the task, while those supporting Netanyahu numbered 46.
Netanyahu had called for a national unity government to face threats including Iran, warning against rushing into a government with what he termed terrorist supporters. The opposition refused. Eisenkot's party demanded that any partner accept its principles, including recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Eisenkot has signalled he could work with the Arab-led parties if they accept those terms, a condition that makes his path both possible and difficult.
Recommendations are not commitments, and Eisenkot must now convert support into a working coalition within 28 days, or 42 with an extension. If he fails, Israel may face fresh elections and another period of uncertainty.
On Saturday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog gave opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to assemble the country's next government. The decision came after the October 27 election left the 120-seat Knesset without a clear majority, and it landed as a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The numbers explain the outcome. Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats, making it the largest party in parliament. But his bloc as a whole reached only 53 seats, eight short of the 61 needed for a majority. Eisenkot's opposition bloc took 48 seats, and the Arab-led parties won 19, according to the final results.
Herzog's choice followed a round of consultations with the parties. Representatives of factions holding 67 lawmakers recommended Eisenkot for the task. Those backing Netanyahu represented 46.
The announcement came shortly after Netanyahu released a video statement calling for a national unity government. He urged an alliance among Zionist political factions, and he warned against what he called hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters. The phrase was an apparent reference to the Arab-led parties, which Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly portrayed as a national security threat. He had earlier argued that a unity government was needed to protect Israel and to meet regional threats, Iran in particular.
The opposition has rejected that appeal. Eisenkot's Yashar party answered on X, criticising Netanyahu's remarks and urging Likud members to turn down alliances with what it called radical parties in the prime minister's religious-nationalist camp. It said any coalition partner would have to accept its principles, including recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Democratic Party chairman Yair Golan said Netanyahu's government should be replaced by a government of salvation and change.
Eisenkot has indicated he could work with the Arab-led parties under certain conditions: that they recognise Hamas as a terrorist organisation and commit to its destruction. That position matters arithmetically, because his own bloc's 48 seats fall well short of 61.
His task now is to turn the 67 recommendations into a workable coalition. Recommendations are not commitments to join a government, and the gap between the two is where the negotiations will happen. He has 28 days to succeed, with a possible two-week extension. If talks fail, Israel could face renewed political uncertainty and potentially fresh elections.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Netanyahu warned against hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters.— Benjamin Netanyahu, video statement
Netanyahu's government must be replaced by a government of salvation and change.— Yair Golan, Democratic Party chairman
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