Centrist Gadi Eisenkot, opponent of Benjamin Netanyahu, reported on Friday "significant progress" in discussions to form the next Israeli government after the legislative elections. The day before, he had announced that he had obtained the notable support of the main Arab list.

Published on: 06/11/2026 - 17:47

The Israeli opposition seems increasingly better placed to govern. Gadi Eisenkot, Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival, reported on Friday November 6 "significant progress" in the negotiations with a view to achieving a majority after the elections.

The centrist hopes to obtain a majority around his bloc in order to be tasked by the president with forming the next government after the very close legislative elections of October 27, 2026.

Also read: Israel: Eisenkot well placed to form the next government with the support of Arab parties

Several options have been mentioned publicly or by the Israeli media, including an agreement with Arab groups, an alliance with the ultra-Orthodox, or even a government of national unity with Mr. Netanyahu's party, but without the latter.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is receiving the different political forces this week, is due to announce on Sunday November 8 who will be in charge of forming a government. This is generally the candidate who has obtained the greatest number of recommendations by the different parties.

“Many meetings took place, some made public, others not. Some were held just a few hours ago,” detailed Gadi Eisenkot in a long message published on X.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost a key ultra-Orthodox ally, the main Israeli Arab list announced Thursday, November 5, supporting centrist Gadi Eisenkot.

What alliances for the future government?

Gadi Eisenkot did not detail the progress he reported, but his statements came a few hours after one of the pillars of his bloc, the nationalist Avigdor Liberman, said he was open to an alliance with the ultra-Orthodox parties, an option he had previously rejected.

Avigdor Liberman, head of the Israel Beitenou party, said he was now ready to make "compromises" on his promise to impose military service on religious students, a measure rejected by ultra-Orthodox groups.

In the October 27, 2026 election, Benjamin Netanyahu's camp obtained 53 seats, followed closely by the Gadi Eisenkot bloc, which obtained 48. At least 61 deputies are needed to control the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament.

But with the loss of support from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (JUT) party, the number of MPs in Netanyahu's camp drops to 46.

Conversely, the opposition could build a comfortable majority of 67 seats with the support of the two main Arab parties, the Joint List and Raam, which have proposed adding their 19 deputies to Eisenkot's can.

Also read: Elections in Israel: can the “huge success” of Arab parties bring down Netanyahu?

But if the anti-Netanyahu camp is the favorite on paper, several of its leaders are opposed to any alliance with Arab parties. Avigdor Liberman, whose party is the smallest member of the opposition bloc with seven seats, reaffirmed Friday, November 6, that he "firmly" refused any pact with the Arab parties, even within the framework of a minority government that the latter would indirectly support in the Knesset.

In a context of worsened social divisions since October 7, its right-wing voters would have difficulty accepting such an alliance with the parties which represent Israeli Arabs, also called Palestinians in Israel, who represent 20% of the population.

The two ultra-Orthodox parties, Shass (Sephardi) and United Torah Judaism (Ashkenazi), appear to be the new partners to conquer. They together have 13 seats, which would allow the opposition to obtain a narrow majority in Parliament. These groups were allied with Benjamin Netanyahu's government coalition, but now accuse him of having failed to enshrine into law the exemption from military service for religion students.

The issue of exemption from military service for the ultra-Orthodox fuels deep resentment among the rest of the population. In fact, many ultra-Orthodox men ignore the army summons when they receive it, a situation generally tolerated under the previous government, but several arrests have aroused the anger of religious parties.

Cautious, Gadi Eisenkot did not confirm on Friday the suggestion of an alliance with the ultra-Orthodox, nor ruled out the hypothesis of cooperation with Arab parties.

With AFP

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