Israel election: Eisenkot wins backing of 67 lawmakers to form next government

President Herzog is expected to task the Yashar leader, while Netanyahu has 46 and United Torah Judaism backed no one

6 November 20261 min read

Portrait of Gadi Eisenkot in a navy suit against a blue background — Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party, in June 2026. File photo. — YAHAV TRUDLER / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, CC BY-SA 3.0

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JERUSALEM (The Thursday Times) — Gadi Eisenkot has the backing of 67 of the 120 members of Israel’s next Knesset to form a government, after his own Yashar party recommended him to President Isaac Herzog in consultations on Thursday.

Herzog is expected to task him with forming the next government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the backing of 46. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism, with seven seats, recommended no one, withholding support from its longtime ally Netanyahu, and said its backing for any government would depend on legislation preserving military service exemptions for yeshiva students.

The Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List also recommended Eisenkot. The Joint List said its decision came “in response to the public demand to prevent Netanyahu and his government from returning to power”. Recommending him does not mean those parties will join his coalition.

Eisenkot, a former army chief, had already been backed by five opposition leaders, including Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman.