Eisenkot Receives Mandate to Form Israel’s Next Government

Updated November 8, 2026, 10 a.m. Central: President Isaac Herzog formally gave Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form Israel’s next government at a ceremony Sunday at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. The handover starts Eisenkot’s government-formation attempt following Saturday’s selection announcement. He has 28 days, with a possible extension of up to 14 days. Receiving the mandate does not mean a coalition has been formed or that a new government has taken office.

Earlier Reporting — November 7, 2026

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has selected Gadi Eisenkot to try to form the country’s next government after the October 27 election left both leading political blocs short of a parliamentary majority.

The decision was announced Saturday, November 7. Eisenkot is scheduled to formally receive the mandate at the President’s Residence at 5 p.m. local time Sunday, November 8. That ceremony will begin his government-formation attempt; Saturday’s announcement does not mean a new governing coalition has already been assembled.

Eisenkot, a former military chief and leader of the Yashar party, will have 28 days to build a government. Herzog can grant an extension of up to 14 days.

The choice follows consultations with the parties elected to the 120-seat Knesset. In a November 5 statement, Herzog said factions representing 67 lawmakers had recommended Eisenkot, while factions representing 46 recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Those recommendations differ from a committed governing majority. Herzog’s earlier statement specifically identified mutual vetoes between parties and within the political blocs as an obstacle to determining who could form a stable government.

Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist bloc won 53 seats in the election. Eisenkot’s four-party bloc won 48, while two Arab-led parties together won 19. The resulting arithmetic leaves coalition negotiations central to the next stage rather than settling who will ultimately become prime minister.

Eisenkot’s selection gives him the first opportunity to assemble a governing arrangement. It does not establish that the parties recommending him have agreed to sit together, nor that the transition to a new government is complete.