Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as the frontrunner to lead Israel’s Change Bloc in the Knesset, with the opposition alliance expected to discuss the parliamentary leadership position ahead of the new legislature’s swearing-in on Tuesday.
Eisenkot is scheduled to meet Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman on Monday to discuss who should head the bloc, according to Israeli media outlet N12. Eisenkot is currently the most likely candidate for the position.
The discussions come as Eisenkot begins efforts to form Israel’s next government after President Isaac Herzog formally entrusted him with the task on Sunday. He secured recommendations from 67 members of the 120-member Knesset during consultations with political factions, giving him the backing of a majority of lawmakers.
Coalition arithmetic poses challenge
Eisenkot’s recommendations came from lawmakers belonging to Yashar, Together, The Democrats, Yisrael Beiteinu and Arab-led parties. However, the support he received during the presidential consultations does not automatically translate into a coalition capable of securing the confidence of the Knesset.
The October 27 election left the political blocs short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority. Eisenkot’s alliance secured 48 seats, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc won 53. Arab-led parties secured 19 seats, making their parliamentary support potentially significant in the government-formation process.
Differences have nevertheless emerged between Eisenkot and Lieberman over the proposed government's composition and whether it should rely on Arab-led parties for support. Lieberman has ruled out backing a minority government dependent on Arab-led parties, a position that could complicate Eisenkot’s efforts to bring together the numbers needed to form a government.
Although Arab-led parties recommended Eisenkot for the mandate, their backing does not necessarily mean they will join his government. The question of whether their support can be relied upon, and on what terms, remains a key challenge in the negotiations.
Eisenkot calls for national emergency government
After receiving the mandate at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, Eisenkot called for a new political era built on “Zionism, solidarity, and friendship”. He pledged to establish a broad-based national emergency government to address Israel’s security, diplomatic and domestic challenges.
In a post on X, he said: “Israel needs a new government. Israel needs leadership that champions what unites us and paves the way for a new era, an era of Zionism, solidarity, and friendship.”
Describing Israel's circumstances as a “challenging and fateful state of emergency”, Eisenkot pointed to ongoing wars, military objectives that remain unfulfilled and what he called a “devastating diplomatic crisis”.
Herzog, while handing over the mandate, said Eisenkot had received the “clear and unequivocal support” of a majority of Knesset members on the question of who had the best chance of forming the next government.
The President acknowledged that Netanyahu’s Likud remained the largest faction in the incoming Knesset, but said the recommendations and precedents in which leaders of parties that were not the largest had been given the mandate supported his decision to appoint Eisenkot.
28 days to form the government
Under Israeli law, Eisenkot has 28 days to put together a government. Herzog can grant him an extension of up to 14 additional days if he needs more time.
The meeting with Lieberman is expected to take place ahead of the new Knesset’s swearing-in on Tuesday, as the Change Bloc works to coordinate its parliamentary strategy and settle questions of leadership.
While Eisenkot’s 67 recommendations secured him the mandate, he must now translate that support into a workable governing arrangement capable of winning a confidence vote in the Knesset.