Benjamin Netanyahu's rival set to be asked to form government in Israeli election fallout

Israel’s election produced no clear governing majority. The important change is that Gadi Eisenkot secured 67 recommendations from parliament members, while Benjamin Netanyahu received 46. United Torah Judaism, previously aligned with Netanyahu, recommended nobody this time. That weakened Netanyahu’s immediate path back to power.

President Isaac Herzog traditionally gives the mandate to the politician with the most recommendations. However, he has legal authority to decide who appears able to form a government. Eisenkot’s support includes two Arab-majority lists, which together won 19 seats. Their backing gives him a possible route to a majority, but it creates a serious obstacle because Yisrael Beiteinu says it will not join a government dependent on Arab parties.

Herzog therefore faces competing signals. Eisenkot has more recommendations, but mutual vetoes may block his coalition. Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s has 48, before the Arab parties’ potential role is settled. Herzog said he would decide quickly after further talks, and the mandate would give its recipient 28 days to form a government.

The Knesset is Israel’s parliament. The article describes it as having 120 members, known as seats in the new parliament. This fixed size makes the majority threshold straightforward: a government needs more than half the seats, or at least 61, to control a majority.

The election did not give either main bloc enough seats alone. Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc has 48. Neither reaches 61, so each would need support from other parties. A coalition is an agreement among parties to govern together or provide enough parliamentary backing for a government to operate.

That arithmetic explains why smaller groups matter so much. The two Arab-majority lists won 19 seats and backed Eisenkot, potentially supplying the numbers he needs. Yet Yisrael Beiteinu says it will not sit in a government relying on Arab parties. United Torah Judaism also withheld its recommendation, leaving Herzog to assess not just numbers, but whether those numbers can hold together.

The election left Israel’s main political blocs short of a majority. Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, and Eisenkot’s bloc has 48. In a 120-seat Knesset, at least 61 members are needed for a majority. Those figures show why neither side can govern without additional support.

The two Arab-majority lists won 19 seats, an unprecedented result. Both lists backed Eisenkot. Their support could give his side a route toward the 61-seat threshold, making them potential kingmakers. But the mechanism is political as well as mathematical: a coalition must keep its partners willing to cooperate.

That is not guaranteed. Yisrael Beiteinu, part of Eisenkot’s camp, has repeatedly said it will not join a government that relies on Arab-party support. Its leader, Avigdor Liberman, objected to the Arab parties’ refusal to explicitly define Hamas as a terror group. The 19 seats therefore offer Eisenkot valuable numbers, while also exposing a possible veto inside his own camp.

Giving a mandate means President Isaac Herzog selects a member of the Knesset and asks that person to form Israel’s next government. It is the formal next step after consultations with political parties. The recipient must turn parliamentary recommendations into a coalition that can govern.

Herzog makes the choice independently, although the usual practice is to select the politician recommended by more parliament members. In this election, Gadi Eisenkot received 67 recommendations and Benjamin Netanyahu received 46. United Torah Judaism recommended neither candidate. Herzog stressed that the recommendation totals did not fully settle the question because parties could veto one another.

The mandate is therefore an opportunity, not a guarantee of power. The chosen politician has 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. The challenge is especially difficult here because Eisenkot’s potential Arab-party support conflicts with Yisrael Beiteinu’s refusal to join such a coalition. Herzog said he would decide quickly after further talks.

Political parties can recommend a candidate because they prefer that person to lead the government, yet still refuse to join the governing coalition. Recommendation affects the president’s choice of mandate recipient. Coalition membership requires agreement on policies, partners, and the government’s terms.

The article gives two examples. Both Arab-majority lists backed Eisenkot, but Yisrael Beiteinu has repeatedly said it will not sit in a government that relies on Arab parties. Avigdor Liberman cited their refusal to explicitly define Hamas as a terror group. Thus, Eisenkot can collect more recommendations while still lacking partners willing to govern with him.

United Torah Judaism shows another version. It had backed Netanyahu after five previous elections, but this time declined to recommend anyone and did not support Eisenkot either. Observers say the move may punish Netanyahu and show that its votes are not automatic. It might still serve in a Netanyahu government, demonstrating why recommendations and coalition participation are separate calculations.

The 28-day deadline prevents the coalition-building process from continuing indefinitely. Once Herzog gives the mandate, the chosen politician must negotiate with parties and assemble a government within that period. The goal is to turn recommendations into enough dependable parliamentary support.

The president can allow a further 14 days. That extension gives the nominee more time to resolve disputes, such as whether a government can rely on Arab-majority parties or satisfy Yisrael Beiteinu’s objections. United Torah Judaism’s demands over military-service exemptions could create another negotiation point, since the party says resolving Torah students’ status is an immediate priority.

If the nominee still cannot form a government, Herzog will task someone else. The article does not specify what the later nominee must do or how the process will ultimately end. The immediate implication is continued uncertainty, because both main blocs remain below a majority and their potential partners hold conflicting positions.

Parliamentary systems often require coalitions because governments need legislative support, but elections may divide seats among several parties. In Israel’s 120-seat Knesset, a majority requires at least 61 members. Neither Netanyahu’s 53-seat bloc nor Eisenkot’s 48-seat bloc reaches that level alone.

This gives smaller parties leverage. Their seats can supply the missing votes, so larger blocs may need to negotiate over policy and cabinet cooperation. The two Arab-majority lists won 19 seats and backed Eisenkot, making them potential kingmakers. United Torah Judaism, with seven seats, is also important because it has previously supported Netanyahu and is focused on military-service exemptions for religious students.

Small-party influence can also make coalition-building harder. Yisrael Beiteinu says it will not join a government relying on Arab parties, even though those parties could help Eisenkot reach a majority. The result is a system where seat totals identify possible alliances, but policy disagreements and mutual vetoes determine whether those alliances can actually govern.