Gadi Eisenkot, the 66-year-old leader of the Yashar party and former military chief of staff, formally received a mandate from President Isaac Herzog to form a government. Herzog granted him 28 days to assemble a coalition despite his bloc lacking a clear parliamentary majority. Eisenkot described Israel as facing a historic crisis and called for a national emergency government that would require unconventional political measures.
Eisenkot’s opposition bloc secured 48 of the Israeli parliament’s 120 seats in October elections, while Netanyahu’s camp won 53 seats. This leaves both sides short of the 61 votes required to form a majority government. Eisenkot faces multiple coalition scenarios: a power-sharing arrangement with Netanyahu, support from Arab-led parties that some allies oppose, or an agreement with ultra-Orthodox parties that demand military service exemptions for their community. Arab-majority lists, which made significant gains in the elections, could play a decisive role as potential coalition partners.
Eisenkot emphasized Israel’s deteriorating diplomatic position and international isolation. He referenced concerns from the United States, Israel’s closest ally, particularly following Democratic gains in midterm elections. He extended appeals to Netanyahu’s Likud party and the finance minister’s far-right faction to join a coalition under his leadership. Netanyahu, sought by the International Criminal Court, responded with a call for a “national unity” government with Eisenkot, though the viability of power-sharing arrangements between the rivals remains uncertain.
The former military leader has outlined conditions for Arab party participation, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization. His coalition has prioritized ending long-standing military draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox, a central campaign issue. If coalition negotiations fail within the initial period, Herzog can grant a 14-day extension before offering the mandate to another candidate. Failure by both sides would trigger new elections, continuing a pattern of repeated deadlocks that produced five elections between 2019 and 2022.
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