With Netanyahu’s coalition eight seats short, rival Eisenkot tapped to form Israeli government

A difficult coalition challenge

Herzog selected Eisenkot on Saturday following the deadlocked election. The president’s largely ceremonial role includes naming a candidate to assemble a governing coalition. Eisenkot’s bloc has refused to partner with Arab parties that could provide enough seats for a majority in the Knesset. Negotiations are expected to take weeks, and Eisenkot has 28 days to reach an agreement, with an option to extend the effort by 14 days.

Likud took 27 seats in the 120-member parliament. Netanyahu’s broader religious-nationalist coalition secured 53 seats, below the 61 required for a majority.

What happens if talks fail

Analysts consider the possible routes to forming a government unlikely to succeed. If Eisenkot cannot assemble a coalition, another candidate may be given a chance. Should that effort also fail, parliament can nominate a further candidate. The election left neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu with a clear path to power.

Eisenkot’s political background

A former military chief, Eisenkot entered politics in 2022. He served briefly in Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, then returned to the opposition. His public standing is also shaped by losses in his family: a son and two nephews were killed fighting in Gaza.

Disputes over coalition partners

Eisenkot has criticized settler violence against Palestinians, which has increased since 2023 and strained Israel’s ties with Western states. He opposes Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have faced sanctions from some Western countries over incitement to violence against Palestinians.