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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future will face a major test Wednesday when President Isaac Herzog begins consulting leaders of every party elected to the 26th Knesset. After those meetings, Herzog will decide which lawmaker should receive the first mandate to form Israel’s next government.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee released the final results last Friday. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, while the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48. A governing coalition requires at least 61 seats.
Netanyahu wrote on X Monday that “the public in Israel does not want a government that depends on Ra’am and the Joint List—parties that support terrorism and reject the existence of the Jewish state.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses an audience at a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
“A clear majority of the Jewish public chose Likud as the largest party and chose me to lead the next government as prime minister. We seek to build a broad government with our partners and with any party that wants to join and does not support terrorism. I am willing to discuss the matter,” he added.
The two predominantly Arab parties targeted in his remarks, the Joint List and Ra’am, won a combined 19 seats—a historic result that could make them pivotal players in negotiations over the next government.
A Joint List source told News Outlet that the alliance is expected to recommend Eisenkot as the first lawmaker charged with forming a government. If both Arab-led parties support him, Eisenkot would receive recommendations from lawmakers representing more than the 61 seats required for a majority.
The lawmaker given the mandate will have 28 days to form a government. Herzog may extend that deadline by up to 14 days.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during an interview with News Outlet in Jerusalem, Israel. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL for News Outlet)
Herzog’s consultations will proceed in order from the parties with the fewest seats to those with the most. Religious Zionism-Zehut and Shas, which each won six seats, will go first, followed by Yisrael Beiteinu with seven.
On Thursday, Herzog is scheduled to meet with the leaders of United Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit, which each won seven seats; The Democrats and Ra’am, with eight seats apiece; the Joint List, with 11; BeYachad, with 12; Yashar, with 21; and Likud, with 27.
Amir Oren, a defense and government affairs commentator, told News Outlet that although Herzog has the legal freedom to choose whom to appoint, he would likely favor the candidate supported by parties representing a majority of Knesset seats.
“He must then task Eisenkot with forming the next government. That does not mean Eisenkot will succeed. If he fails, he will have to return the mandate to the president,” Oren said.
Eisenkot could struggle to build a coalition of 61 lawmakers because of divisions within the opposition. BeYachad leader Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beiteinu chief Avigdor Liberman are unlikely to join a government dependent on the Joint List, citing the party’s pro-Palestinian positions and opposition to Zionism.
Another option would be an opposition-led minority government that receives outside support from the Arab parties.
Israel has never formed a minority government immediately after an election, although similar arrangements have emerged during a Knesset term. Most recently, under Netanyahu’s current government, an ultra-Orthodox party left the coalition over a dispute involving military conscription but continued to support the government from outside.
Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot attends the Jerusalem Residents Conference on Aug. 12, 2026, in Jerusalem. Eisenkot, a retired Israel Defense Forces chief and current leader of Yashar, has become Benjamin Netanyahu’s leading challenger ahead of October’s general election. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
Religious Zionism-Zehut, Otzma Yehudit and Shas each confirmed to News Outlet on Tuesday night that they would recommend Netanyahu to Herzog during the consultations.
Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said Bennett and Liberman’s recent endorsement of Eisenkot indicates that they may be abandoning the possibility of a national unity government.
“I think it would behoove Netanyahu, Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Bennett and former Defense Minister Liberman to find a way to work together now, given the imminent clash between the apocalyptic death cult known as the Iranian regime, Israel and, by extension, the rest of the Western world,” he said.
Netanyahu faces an additional complication because the 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on Nov. 10. The new lawmakers are expected to establish committees and begin advancing legislation, while Netanyahu and his ministers remain in office as a caretaker government under the supervision of the new parliament, preserving continuity of government.
A supporter of former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, reacts to an exit poll at the party’s headquarters during Israel’s national election in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 27, 2026. (Shir Torem/Reuters)
“They are doing everything possible to remove Netanyahu from office, and we are now seeing discussions about replacing the Knesset speaker. They could then begin advancing legislation in a parliament where Arab parties control 19 seats—an arrangement that would be highly uncomfortable for Netanyahu,” Diker said.
Oren identified another possible obstacle: political restrictions could limit the caretaker government’s ability to launch military operations. That could complicate any renewed conflict with Iran, even if U.S. President Donald Trump were to initiate such action.
Former Knesset member Dov Lipman said Eisenkot appears likely to receive the first mandate, but added that most Israelis would prefer a national unity government centered on Likud, Yashar and BeYachad, possibly joined by one or more smaller parties.
“As a first step, Eisenkot may approach Likud and ask it to join a government under his leadership, which Likud will reject. Eisenkot will then have to make a decision, as Liberman is unlikely to agree to serve in a government alongside Arab parties,” Lipman said.
Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas speaks during a Knesset plenary session in Jerusalem, Israel, on July 13, 2026. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)
“Eisenkot will probably fail to form a government. The mandate would then pass to Netanyahu, who would also likely fail.”
That outcome would begin a 21-day period in which any Knesset member could try to form a government with the support of at least 61 lawmakers. If the process reaches that point, Lipman said Eisenkot could agree to serve under Netanyahu for two years to prevent another election.
Prof. Gideon Rahat, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, said Netanyahu would have to offer meaningful concessions to convince opposition leaders that he would honor his promises. Their skepticism stems from the 2020 power-sharing agreement with Benny Gantz, then leader of the Blue and White party.
Under that deal, Netanyahu was supposed to serve as prime minister for 18 months, while Gantz would serve as alternate prime minister and defense minister before taking over on Nov. 17, 2021. The arrangement collapsed after the government failed to approve a state budget by the December 2020 deadline, automatically dissolving the Knesset and forcing new elections. Gantz never became prime minister.
Rahat cited Israel’s 1984-1988 national unity government as a possible model for a new power-sharing arrangement.
“At the time, Israel was still involved in the Lebanon War, with IDF forces deployed there, and the economy was experiencing a severe crisis, with annual inflation above 400%. In response, Likud and Labor created a national unity government based on rotation, with Shimon Peres serving as prime minister for the first two years and Yitzhak Shamir taking over for the following two,” he said.
Rahat said much of the public would probably welcome a similar agreement, although significant sources of tension would remain.
“They would need to freeze the judicial overhaul launched by Netanyahu’s government, establish a way to investigate Oct. 7, as opposition parties demand, and agree on a process for Netanyahu to leave office when the time comes. On major security and economic matters, however, unity governments can be highly effective,” Rahat said.
“Once the major challenges are resolved, they begin fighting among themselves—and the magic disappears.”
