Herzog Tasks Gadi Eisenkot With Forming Israel’s Next Government

Eisenkot, described by Tagesschau and Deutsche Welle as an opposition politician or leader and a former military chief, has now received the formal opportunity to try to assemble a government after Israel’s election. The mandate creates a path for a possible change in leadership, but it does not establish that he has the parliamentary support needed to complete the process.

The coalition arithmetic is complicated by the election result. Handelsblatt reported that Eisenkot’s party finished behind Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. Tagesschau, meanwhile, reported that Eisenkot appealed to other parties to accept “unconventional political steps” as he seeks a route to government.

The government-forming process has a defined timetable, according to Euronews: a candidate given the mandate has 28 days to form a government. The president can extend that period by up to 14 additional days before assigning the mandate to someone else, the outlet reported.

The available reporting also points to a potentially broad negotiating process. Al Jazeera reported that Eisenkot was open to Netanyahu joining the next government, although the supplied evidence does not establish the conditions or extent of any such participation. Handelsblatt and Deutsche Welle both described Eisenkot’s prospects of securing a majority as uncertain or politically challenging.

Reports published on November 8, 2026, described Herzog’s decision as part of the post-election government-formation process. The New Indian Express reported that Herzog cited a “new political reality” following the US election. For Eisenkot, the immediate test remains whether he can turn the presidential mandate into sufficient support for a governing coalition.