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Netanyahu rival Eisenkot tapped to form Israeli government

Israel’s president tapped Gadi Eisenkot to try to form the country’s next government, kicking off a tortuous negotiating process that could oust long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 4 sources•1 min read•Updated November 8, 2026, 10:41 PM UTC
Key points
  • Eisenkot, a former military chief, ran as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading a bloc of parties seeking to oust Israel’s longest-serving premier.
  • Knesset has been deadlocked since the election last month when Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition lost its majority Israel’s president has ⁠chosen Gadi Eisenkot, the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ⁠strongest rival, to ⁠try to ​form a new government, after a deadlocked election that left neither man ⁠with a clear path to power.
  • During consultations held earlier this week, 67 members of the Knesset recommended Eisenkot to form the new government, while only 46 recommended Netanyahu.

Eisenkot, 66, the leader of the Yashar party, who has vowed to bridge Israel’s deep polarisation under Netanyahu, formally received a mandate from the president, Isaac Herzog, who gave him 28 days to form a government despite his bloc lacking a clear majority.

Additional details
  • While Eisenkot and Netanyahu differ in style and substance, both men reflect the “ monolithically anti-Palestinian stance that dominates Israeli politics,” an International Crisis Group expert told Le Monde.
  • What to watch: Eisenkot said he intends to form an "national emergency government" built around the 48 members of his bloc.
  • Eisenkot's bloc won 48 seats, but the two Arab parties, which won 19 seats, backed his bid to form a government.
  • Why it matters: Eisenkot will have 28 days to establish a new government.
  • Eisenkot will have to chose whether he wants this support to come from the ultra-Orthodox parties or the Arab parties, but either path risks alienating members of his bloc.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

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Every article behind this summary — 5 articles from 4 outlets

SemaforNovember 8, 2026, 10:41 PM UTC → The Guardian WorldNovember 8, 2026, 5:53 PM UTC → The Guardian WorldNovember 8, 2026, 2:26 PM UTC → AxiosNovember 7, 2026, 8:48 PM UTC → Global News WorldNovember 7, 2026, 8:15 PM UTC →

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