Israel’s newly elected parliament was sworn in Tuesday, opening a political transition that could bring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lengthy time in office to an end. But no replacement government has been formed, and negotiations are already running into serious difficulties.
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot is leading the effort to assemble a coalition. President Isaac Herzog gave him the mandate on Sunday after 67 lawmakers recommended him, compared with 46 who backed Netanyahu.
Eisenkot’s Yashar party won 21 seats in the Oct. 27 election. He is working with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whose B’Yachad party, formed with former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, won 12 seats.
The parties have not merged, but their cooperation gives Eisenkot the backing of 33 lawmakers in negotiations. Netanyahu’s Likud remains the largest single party, with 27 seats.
A person familiar with discussions among the parties seeking to replace Netanyahu said Bennett has chosen to support Eisenkot’s bid rather than pursue the premiership himself. Bennett plans to coordinate with Eisenkot while keeping his party’s separate leadership and identity, the source said.
The arrangement does not create a new 33-seat party, or mean the two leaders will agree on every part of a coalition deal. Still, it gives Eisenkot more leverage than his party’s 21 seats would on their own.
At Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony, Netanyahu called for a national unity government, pointing to Israel’s security challenges. He also criticized Arab parties, accusing them of supporting terrorism and warning against forming a government that depends on their votes.
Bennett, who had largely stayed out of public view during the negotiations, repeatedly challenged Netanyahu during his speech.
“What about your Qatari advisers?” Bennett shouted, referring to an investigation into alleged financial ties between Qatar and members of Netanyahu’s inner circle. He also questioned why Netanyahu had not established a state inquiry into the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, and called on him to designate Qatar an enemy state.
The exchange interrupted Netanyahu’s address. Other lawmakers joined in, while Netanyahu continued to warn against relying on Arab parties to form a government.
Eisenkot issued a sharp rebuke afterward, calling Netanyahu’s speech divisive and shameful and saying it strengthened his view that Netanyahu should leave office immediately.
Eisenkot then told his negotiating team to cancel a meeting with Likud representatives scheduled for Wednesday. Yashar said the meeting had been intended to discuss coalition options based on Eisenkot’s four governing principles, but that Netanyahu’s remarks made the talks impossible to proceed with as planned.
Netanyahu continued to argue for a unity government on Wednesday, saying Israel’s security situation called for cooperation across political lines. Despite the public clash, a unity arrangement remains one of the more plausible options under discussion, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
That path would likely require Netanyahu to agree not to serve as prime minister initially. Eisenkot could lead under a rotation deal, with Netanyahu taking the role of alternate prime minister, the source said. No agreement has been reached, and it remains uncertain whether Netanyahu would give up the premiership, even temporarily.
Eisenkot’s allies are also keeping other possibilities open, including deals with ultra-Orthodox or Arab parties. Those options could improve their bargaining position and increase pressure on Netanyahu to accept a shared arrangement.
The election left Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats, while four parties seeking to replace him won 48. The remaining 19 seats belong to two Arab-led parties: the Joint List, with 11, and Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, with eight.
The 67 lawmakers who recommended Eisenkot for the mandate do not automatically give him a workable coalition. Herzog noted during consultations with party leaders that disagreements and mutual vetoes could make it difficult for either side to form a stable government.
Eisenkot’s main partners are Bennett, Lapid, Yair Golan of the Democrats and Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu. Their parties hold 48 seats combined, 13 short of the 61 generally required for a majority.
Eisenkot has set out four principles for potential coalition partners: recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; accepting the values of its Declaration of Independence; supporting military, national or civilian service for all; and recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization whose military and governing capabilities must be dismantled.
Those conditions complicate the numbers. The ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism have 13 seats between them, enough to bring Eisenkot’s existing bloc to 61. But both have opposed expanding military conscription to include ultra-Orthodox religious students, putting them at odds with Eisenkot’s demand for universal service.
At a Nov. 10 party meeting, Eisenkot again said he would not drop the principle of military, national or civilian service for everyone. The disagreement was also apparent on Wednesday, when Bennett’s party proposed expanding benefits for soldiers and reservists, while United Torah Judaism introduced bills aimed at preserving draft exemptions for religious students.
Arab parties pose a separate challenge. Ra’am’s eight lawmakers could help Eisenkot form a government, but Liberman has rejected relying on Arab parties, and others in the bloc remain divided over whether such an arrangement would be acceptable.
A person in Eisenkot’s party said Yashar has not ruled out cooperation with Ra’am, provided its leaders accept the four governing principles. The source said discussions remain difficult and several possible arrangements are still being considered: support from ultra-Orthodox parties, cooperation with Arab lawmakers, potentially from outside the government, or a broader unity deal involving Likud.
Each option comes with political costs. Eisenkot is trying to bring together parties with sharply different views on religion, national identity and security.
Even before a new government is in place, Eisenkot’s allies have begun using their influence in parliament. Yashar said Monday it had introduced legislation to establish a state inquiry into the Oct. 7 attacks and set term limits for the prime minister.
The party has also proposed repealing laws linked to Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, including changes affecting the courts, the attorney general’s authority, the police and the circumstances in which a prime minister can be declared unfit to serve.
A vote to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, an ally of Netanyahu, is scheduled for Nov. 17. Those parliamentary moves could give Eisenkot’s supporters influence over the legislative agenda before they control the government.
Eisenkot has also sought to reassure U.S. leaders about relations between the two countries. In a public statement on Nov. 4, he pledged to restore bipartisan cooperation in Washington and deepen ties with the United States.
He described the relationship as a partnership between people, grounded in shared democratic values and strengthened by the belief that both countries are safer and more prosperous when they work together. Eisenkot also said he looked forward to working constructively with President Donald Trump and his administration.
The statement comes as U.S. support for Israel is being debated more intensely in Washington, following the American midterm elections and disagreements over Israeli regional policy. A source in Eisenkot’s party said rebuilding ties with both major U.S. political parties would be a priority for a new government.
Eisenkot has also said he wants to pursue regional cooperation and diplomatic opportunities while maintaining Israel’s security commitments.
Under Israeli law, Eisenkot has 28 days from Nov. 8 to form a government, setting a Dec. 6 deadline. Herzog can extend the period by up to 14 days, which could move the deadline to Dec. 20.
If Eisenkot cannot form a government, the president may give another lawmaker a chance. If that attempt also fails, further parliamentary procedures could eventually lead to another national election.
The outcome will shape more than who becomes prime minister. It could affect military conscription, judicial reform, accountability for the Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s relationship with Washington.
For now, the new parliament is beginning to challenge the outgoing government’s agenda while Eisenkot negotiates over who might join a successor administration. He has the presidential mandate, Bennett’s support and the backing of a parliamentary majority that recommended him. What he still lacks is an agreement among those parties on how to govern together.
