After receiving the recommendation of 67 representatives in the Knesset, compared to 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is closest to being assigned to form the next government. President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to announce his decision on Sunday, amid complications related to the position of the religious parties and the role of the two Arab lists that supported Eisenkot, although his position on relying on them to form a government coalition has not been decided.

Published on: 06/11/2026 - 02:26

Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Thursday that he will reveal on Sunday the name of the representative who will assign him to form the next government, after former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot received parliamentary recommendations superior to those received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thanks to the support of the two Arab lists.

Herzog said in a video message after two days of consultations with party leaders: “I intend to assign next Sunday a member of the Knesset to form the government.”

He explained that 67 representatives recommended appointing Eisenkot, compared to 46 who supported appointing Netanyahu, while seven representatives abstained from recommending any candidate.

Despite Eisenkot's advance in the number of recommendations, neither camp was able to obtain an absolute majority of 61 seats out of 120 in the Knesset. Eisenkot's camp won 48 seats, before gaining the support of the two Arab lists, the joint and unified, which together won 19 seats in a result described as historic.

The Joint List, which won 11 seats, had announced before meeting with Herzog that it would recommend appointing Eisenkot, stressing the importance of widening the gap between him and Netanyahu to enhance the chances of changing the government, and limit the possibility of forming a national unity government that would keep the current prime minister in power.

In a remarkable development, the United Torah Judaism (Torah Judaism) party, which represents ultra-Orthodox Jews of Ashkenazi origin, declined to recommend appointing Netanyahu, despite its support in five previous elections.

The Israeli President's Office reported that the party, which won seven seats, informed it of its decision not to recommend any member of the Knesset to form the government.

Read also: Netanyahu refers to “serious suspicions” of foreign interference in the elections, and the Arab List proposes to Eisenkot to form a government

The party, along with the Shas party, which represents ultra-Orthodox Jews of Sephardic origins, focuses on the issue of exempting religious institute students from compulsory military service.

Netanyahu had maintained this exemption, but he did not succeed in passing it into law, amid the dissatisfaction of large segments of Israelis, especially reserve soldiers who were forced to perform repeated rounds of military service due to the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

Representative from the “Torah Judaism” party, Isaac Pindros, confirmed that the party’s “immediate priority” in any future government will be settling the situation of Torah students.

On the other hand, Eisenkot, who seeks to unite the centrist and center-right forces, calls for an end to exemptions from military service. Some of his allies directed sharp criticism at the ultra-Orthodox Jews, who represent about 14% of the population and whose birth rates are higher than those of secular Israelis, accusing them of giving priority to their own interests and constituting a burden on the state.

Observers believe that Torah Judaism's refusal to support Netanyahu may be a means to pressure and punish him, and to confirm that the party's votes are not guaranteed, without closing the door to participation in a government that he may be able to form later.

A pivotal role for Arab citizens

The representative appointed by Herzog on Sunday will have 28 days to form the government, with the possibility of extending the deadline for an additional 14 days. If he fails, the Israeli president can assign the task to another person.

The recommendations of the two Arab lists are of particular importance in determining the person who will undertake this task, after the United Arab List announced on Thursday its support for Eisenkot, joining the Joint List in recommending his appointment.

The Unified List, which includes a Jewish candidate, won eight seats in the elections, compared to 11 seats for the Joint List.

The recent elections witnessed heavy participation by Arab citizens of Israel, in light of their dissatisfaction with the policies of the right-wing Netanyahu government, which they consider discriminatory against them.

Although the two Arab lists agreed with Eisenkot on the goal of ending Netanyahu's rule, the opposition leader has not yet announced his willingness to rely on their support to form the government.

Eisenkot may face difficulties in maintaining the cohesion of his camp if he chooses to rely on Arab representatives, given the opposition of some of his allies to cooperate with Arab parties.

In this context, the position of the leader of the "Israel Our Home" party, Avigdor Lieberman, stands out, who strongly refuses to rely on the support of these parties, and adopts hard-line positions towards the Palestinians similar to the positions of the outgoing right-wing government.

For his part, Netanyahu has been attacking the opposition for raising the possibility of an alliance with Arab representatives.

In a video clip from his office on Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister spoke about “serious suspicions” related to pumping foreign money into the elections, and also questioned the loyalty of Arab citizens in Israel.

France 24/AFP

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