Coalition math: Eisenkot takes mandate to replace Netanyahu

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, formally received the mandate to form Israel’s next government from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday. The handover took place at the President's Residence, marking the start of a 28-day window for Eisenkot to assemble a cabinet. Herzog holds the power to grant a single extension of up to 14 days if necessary.

Eisenkot secured the mandate after President Herzog held consultations with representatives of all parties entering the incoming Knesset. Eisenkot received 67 recommendations from these talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received 46 recommendations during the same process.

The election results produced a deadlock in the 120-seat Knesset. No single bloc secured the 61 seats required for a stable majority. Netanyahu's coalition bloc holds 53 seats. The opposition bloc holds 48 seats. The Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List won a combined 19 seats, a record high for those factions. Both Arab parties recommended Eisenkot, though that recommendation does not guarantee their participation in his final cabinet.

Netanyahu's bloc includes Likud, Otzma Yehudit, the Religious Zionist Party, Zehut, and Shas. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, a traditional partner of Netanyahu, declined to recommend a candidate. This abstention stems from reported tensions with the Prime Minister and benefits the opposition, which has signaled greater openness to including ultra-Orthodox parties and has begun negotiations with them.

Eisenkot addressed the parliamentary factions during the ceremony. He stated that the days when Israelis felt excluded by their own government must end. He warned that anyone who attempts to sabotage the government formation for personal rather than substantive reasons will be remembered in history as failing to save Israel during a time of emergency.

If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted 42 days, President Herzog must decide within three days whether to appoint a second candidate or inform the Knesset speaker that no possibility exists. A second candidate would have 28 days to build a coalition, with no extension available. If that attempt fails, a 21-day period opens during which at least 61 MKs can ask the president to assign the task to a specific lawmaker. That final candidate would have 14 days to form a government. If all attempts fail, the Knesset dissolves, and a new election is held while the current government serves in a caretaker capacity.