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Nov 7, 2026
Eisenkot’s 67 Backers Put Netanyahu on Notice, but Coalition Math Still Bites
Eisenkot’s supporters see his parliamentary advantage as an opening to end Netanyahu’s long political dominance, while other accounts stress that recommendations are not the same as a durable governing majority. Both views point to the same test: whether Israel’s fragmented opposition can bridge deep divides over Arab representation and ultra-Orthodox military service.
Gadi Eisenkot has secured recommendations from 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members, compared with 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after United Torah Judaism — a longstanding ultra-Orthodox ally of Netanyahu — declined to endorse either candidate. The shift gives the Yashar leader a strong claim to receive the mandate to try to form Israel’s next government.1
The more optimistic reading casts the result as a substantial political setback for Netanyahu and a possible break with his long tenure. Eisenkot’s supporters argue that high turnout and the parliamentary recommendations reflect public demand for change, while Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List say their backing responds to constituents’ concerns over discrimination, crime and political exclusion. Yet those parties have also made clear that support need not mean joining the cabinet; external backing for a minority government remains one possible route.1
A more cautious account stresses that Eisenkot’s numerical edge does not settle the question of who can assemble a viable coalition. President Isaac Herzog said the consultation results “may seem clear,” but added that his legal responsibility is to determine who can actually form a government — an issue complicated by mutual vetoes both between and within the blocs.2
The central contradiction is that the four Jewish parties opposing Netanyahu hold 48 seats, while the two Arab-representation parties account for another 19. Some prospective Eisenkot partners resist governing alongside Arab parties, particularly over security policy. At the same time, negotiations with ultra-Orthodox parties would require compromise on military-service exemptions for religious students, a dispute that helped drive United Torah Judaism’s decision not to back Netanyahu.2
Herzog planned further consultations before deciding whom to task with coalition talks. Even if Eisenkot receives the mandate, he would need to convert a symbolic parliamentary advantage into 61 votes of confidence — or find a stable alternative arrangement — before Netanyahu can be replaced.2