TEL AVIV, November 7. /TASS/. Israeli President Isaac Herzog intends to ask Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition party Yashar, to form a new government, the presidential office said in a statement.
"On the evening of November 7, 2026, the president informed Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot of his intention to ask him to form a new government," the statement reads.
According to the presidential office, Herzog will meet with Eisenkot on the evening of November 8 to formally task him with forming a government. Under Israeli law, this will trigger the 28-day period during which the first candidate for prime minister must secure the support of a majority of members of the 120-seat parliament and form a governing coalition. If necessary, the period may be extended by two weeks.
If the candidate fails, the president will task another lawmaker with forming a government. The second candidate will have two weeks to do so, with no possibility of an extension. If no government can be formed with the support of at least 61 members of parliament, a new election will be called within 90 days. Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue serving until a new government takes office.
The presidential press service pointed out that the decision to ask Eisenkot to form a new government had been made following consultations with delegations from all parties that won seats in parliament in the recent elections.
Israel held its parliamentary elections on October 27. Netanyahu’s Likud party came first, winning 27 seats in parliament. His main rival, Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar opposition party, was in second place with 21 seats. Likud and its allies secured 53 seats, while opposition parties won a total of 48. Arab parties took 19 seats. However, no political bloc currently has the 61 seats needed to form a governing majority.