# Israel’s President Taps Opposition Candidate Eisenkot To Form A Government, In Setback For Netanyahu

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/israels-president-taps-opposition-candidate-eisenkot-to-form-a-government-in-setback-for-netanyahu/
- Published: 2026-11-08T13:09:26+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T13:19:38+00:00
- Original publisher: HuffPost (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israel-election-eisenkot-netanyahu_n_6aeff8afe4b0d2d11fa40151
- Topics: Elections, Government, Middle East, Politics, World

## Key points

- Eisenkot gets the first chance to form Israel’s next government.
- Both his bloc and Netanyahu’s lost their parliamentary majority.
- Coalition talks may hinge on politically fraught Arab-party support.

## Summary

President Isaac Herzog has given opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form Israel’s next government, a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose bloc lost its parliamentary majority. Eisenkot, a former military chief, now has an opportunity to replace the country’s longest-serving premier, but the appointment does not guarantee he can assemble a government.

Eisenkot has up to six weeks to secure a parliamentary majority after the 27 October election, but his own bloc also fell short. Arab-led parties made historic gains and could offer support, though such an alliance would be contentious: an Arab party has joined a governing coalition only once before. Other options include a unity government with major Jewish parties or a minority government backed externally by Arab parties, but each path faces opposition and difficult compromises.

## Coverage

- [HuffPost: Israel’s President Taps Opposition Candidate Eisenkot To Form A Government, In Setback For Netanyahu](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israel-election-eisenkot-netanyahu_n_6aeff8afe4b0d2d11fa40151)
- [New York Times: Who Is Gadi Eisenkot, Israel’s Opposition Leader?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/08/world/middleeast/israel-eisenkot-netanyahu-what-to-know.html)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.