Netanyahu Loses Ground as Eisenkot Secures 67 Endorsements and Herzog Prepares to Pick Israel's Next Prime Minister

JERUSALEM — Benjamin Netanyahu's fight to remain Israel's prime minister suffered a serious blow on Thursday, 5 November 2026, as a long-standing ultra-Orthodox ally refused to back any candidate and both of Israel's Arab-led parties threw their support behind his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot. The twin developments left Eisenkot with endorsements from 67 of the Knesset's 120 lawmakers — comfortably past the 61 needed for a majority — while Netanyahu's tally fell to 46, and set up President Isaac Herzog to decide, as early as Thursday night, who gets the first chance to form a government after the country's deadlocked 27 October election.

Illustration: The Israeli president's residence in Jerusalem at dusk, where President Isaac Herzog is meeting the two candidates for prime minister.

What Happened

The decisive moves came during the second day of Herzog's consultations with the newly elected factions, a process that began on Wednesday after the official results were announced. In the day's biggest setback for the prime minister, United Torah Judaism — one of the two major parties representing ultra-Orthodox Jewish voters and a Netanyahu coalition ally in each of the previous five elections — told Herzog it would not recommend any member of the Knesset to form a government. The party holds seven seats, and its abstention cut Netanyahu's endorsement tally from his bloc's 53 election seats to 46.

At the same time, the two parties representing Israel's Arab minority, which won an unprecedented 19 seats between them, both endorsed Eisenkot. The Joint List, the larger of the two with 11 seats, said its decision to recommend Eisenkot had been reached unanimously after consultations among its component parties, and that it would inform Herzog of the decision on Thursday evening. Ra'am, which won eight seats, also endorsed the former military chief.

The endorsements give Eisenkot backing from 67 lawmakers: his own four-party anti-Netanyahu coalition of 48 seats, plus eight from Ra'am and 11 from the Joint List. Netanyahu's 46 recommendations comprise 27 from his own Likud party and 19 from Otzma Yehudit, Shas and Religious Zionism. With United Torah Judaism's seven lawmakers declining to recommend either candidate, the arithmetic leaves Eisenkot positioned to receive the first mandate from Herzog, although the president is not obliged to choose the candidate with the most recommendations.

Herzog was due to meet Eisenkot and Netanyahu separately at his residence in Jerusalem on Thursday night, wrapping up the consultations he started on Wednesday. The schedule underscored the day's drama: the Joint List delegation was set to meet the president in the late afternoon, followed by the Yachad faction, then Eisenkot's Yashar party, with Likud's representatives last. Herzog has until 11 November to decide whom to task with forming a government.

"Any reasonable person need only look at the security and diplomatic challenges before us, at the changing region around us, and remember the issues tearing us apart from within, to understand that an immense responsibility rests upon us," Herzog said as the consultations began. He has called on the parties to do their utmost to avert another round of elections.

Background

Israel's 27 October election ended in deadlock, with neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot securing a clear path to a majority in parliament. Though Netanyahu outperformed expectations and his Likud party won the most seats of any single party, with 27, his wider nationalist-religious coalition lost its governing majority, falling from 64 seats to 53. Eisenkot's coalition, spanning four centre-left to right-wing Jewish-led parties — Yashar, Together, the Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu — won 48 seats. The two Arab-led parties' record haul of 19 seats made them potential kingmakers in the coalition process, a role neither side had anticipated.

Illustration: Inside a parliament chamber — in the 120-seat Knesset, 61 votes are needed for a majority.

The official results were certified on Wednesday, 4 November, by the Central Elections Committee, which said the integrity of the vote had not been compromised. The committee reviewed more than 9,000 polling stations before submitting the results to Herzog. Its head, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, urged the country's elected officials to protect public trust rather than shake it. "This is a real danger. One of the foundations of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power," Sohlberg told Herzog at his residence on Wednesday, adding that high voter turnout, including among the Arab minority, was a blessing.

Netanyahu, at risk of losing power, has seized on an investigation by election officials into possible vote tampering to cast doubt on the results, accusing Arab-led parties of stealing the vote. Critics accuse Netanyahu and his partners of trying to undermine the results, which he denies. His far-right allies, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have called for the immediate arrest and interrogation of Arab party leaders. The committee's certification, and Sohlberg's public warning, were widely read as a rebuke of that campaign.

The ultra-Orthodox parties' position has been shaped by the long-running dispute over military-service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, an issue that has divided every recent Israeli government. United Torah Judaism informed Herzog that its backing for any future administration remains strictly contingent on securing those exemptions — a demand that neither Netanyahu, who has relied on ultra-Orthodox support for years, nor Eisenkot has yet met.

Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces who leads the Yashar party, has campaigned on restoring national unity after years of political turbulence and war. Like Netanyahu, he has so far ruled out forming a government with Israel's two Arab-led parties. The Joint List has likewise made clear that it will not formally join an Eisenkot-led coalition, though it may offer support from outside — a distinction that matters, because endorsements for the mandate are recommendations to the president, not promises of cabinet seats.

Why It Matters

Thursday's developments redraw the map of Israeli politics in two ways. First, they end — at least for now — Netanyahu's claim to be the only candidate who can command a majority. For the first time in the post-election process, his rival holds a clear, publicly counted lead in endorsements, and the president's own tradition points toward giving the mandate to the candidate recommended by more parties. Second, they hand Israel's Arab minority an influence over government formation without precedent: 19 seats, both Arab lists backing the same candidate, and a record turnout that the election committee itself praised.

The moment is also a test of Israel's democratic guardrails. A sitting prime minister casting doubt on certified results, a far-right minister demanding the arrest of opposition party leaders, and a Supreme Court justice warning about the peaceful transfer of power amount to an unusually public confrontation over the rules of the game. How Herzog handles the mandate — and how Netanyahu responds if he is passed over — will shape whether the deadlock is resolved by negotiation or by another election, which the president has said everything must be done to avoid.

Beyond Israel, the outcome matters for the region. The next government will inherit the security and diplomatic challenges Herzog cited: the aftermath of the war with Iran, relations with Washington under a newly Democratic Congress, and the unfinished business of regional diplomacy. A government that depends on outside support from Arab parties, or one that collapses quickly into another election, would face those challenges with a narrower margin for manoeuvre.

What Happens Next

Herzog is expected to formally task Eisenkot with the first attempt to assemble a government, most likely in the coming days, after he completes Thursday night's meetings with the two candidates. Under Israel's system, the chosen candidate is given a first mandate to try to build a coalition; if that candidate fails, another can try, and the Knesset itself can nominate a candidate. The process carries a deadline of around 100 days, and if no one succeeds, another election must be held.

Illustration: A negotiation table set for coalition talks, the next step once the president hands out the mandate to form a government.

That path is far from straightforward. Eisenkot must turn 67 recommendations into a working coalition, and his own camp has ruled out governing with the Arab parties whose backing put him over the threshold. He will need to hold together four parties that span the centre-left to the right, satisfy United Torah Judaism's demands on military exemptions without losing secular partners, and do so while Netanyahu — still prime minister in a caretaker government — argues that only he can lead. If Eisenkot's attempt fails, Herzog could turn to Netanyahu, whose 46 endorsements leave him 15 short of a majority and dependent on the very ultra-Orthodox party that has just refused to recommend him.

The next milestone is Herzog's announcement, due by 11 November. After that, the clock starts on coalition talks that will test whether Israel's most divided parliament in years can produce a government — or whether voters will be called back to the polls for another election.

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FAQ

Who is Gadi Eisenkot?

Gadi Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and the leader of the Yashar party. After the 27 October 2026 election, he emerged as Benjamin Netanyahu's chief rival for the prime ministership, leading a four-party anti-Netanyahu coalition that won 48 seats.

Why did United Torah Judaism refuse to endorse Netanyahu?

United Torah Judaism, one of the two major ultra-Orthodox parties, told President Herzog it would not recommend any candidate to form a government. The party said its backing for any future administration remains contingent on securing military-service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.

What does the 67-46 endorsement tally mean?

During the president's consultations, parties recommend a candidate to form the government. Eisenkot received 67 recommendations — his 48-seat coalition plus 19 from the two Arab-led parties — while Netanyahu received 46. A majority in the 120-seat Knesset is 61, so Eisenkot's tally clears the threshold, although the president is not obliged to pick the candidate with the most recommendations.

Will the Arab parties join Eisenkot's government?

No, not according to their own statements. The Joint List said it will not formally join an Eisenkot-led coalition, though it may support it from outside. Both Eisenkot and Netanyahu have ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties; the endorsements are recommendations to the president, not coalition agreements.

What happens if no one can form a government?

If the candidate tasked by the president fails, another candidate can be given a chance, and the Knesset can nominate its own candidate. The process has a deadline of around 100 days; if no candidate succeeds, another election must be held. President Herzog has urged the parties to do their utmost to avoid that outcome.

Sources

• Reuters — "Netanyahu's position weakens as ultra-Orthodox party withholds support," 5 November 2026. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahus-position-weakens-ultra-orthodox-party-withholds-support-2026-11-05/
• Devdiscourse — "Netanyahu's position weakens as rival secures broad backing to try to form government," 5 November 2026. https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4002202-netanyahus-position-weakens-as-rival-secures-broad-backing-to-try-to-form-government?amp
• JFeed — "Joint List backs Eisenkot, giving him 67 Knesset endorsements," 5 November 2026. https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/to1i0c
• Devdiscourse — "Israel: Eisenkot clears PM mandate threshold with 67 endorsements, leaving Netanyahu's bloc at 46 seats, UTJ abstains," 5 November 2026. https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4002174-israel-eisenkot-clears-pm-mandate-threshold-with-67-endorsements-leaving-netanyahus-bloc-at-46-seats-utj-abstains
• Clash Report — "Eisenkot Expected to Secure 67 Endorsements for Israeli Mandate," 5 November 2026. https://clashreport.com/world/articles/eisenkot-expected-to-secure-67-endorsements-after-joint-list-backing-dvnv4vaf01