{"id":14322,"date":"2026-11-07T05:37:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T05:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14322"},"modified":"2026-11-07T05:37:04","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T05:37:04","slug":"president-herzog-faces-key-choice-as-israel-struggles-to-form-government-israel-election-2026-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14322","title":{"rendered":"President Herzog faces key choice as Israel struggles to form government | Israel Election 2026 News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog must decide who gets the first attempt at forming a government, after an inconclusive election<\/a> left both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, short of a parliamentary majority.<\/p>\n

Herzog has said<\/a> he will task a candidate with forming a government on Sunday. Eisenkot has received the endorsement of a majority of lawmakers \u2013 but only thanks to parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, which won a record 19 seats<\/a> in October\u2019s election, but whom Eisenkot has ruled out bringing into government.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

Here is what we know:<\/p>\n

Who is Herzog likely to ask to form a government?<\/h2>\n

During consultations between party heads and Herzog<\/a>, which ended on Thursday, 67 out of 120 Knesset members endorsed Eisenkot, while only 46 endorsed Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu\u2019s endorsements fell seven short of his bloc\u2019s 53 seats after United Torah Judaism, one of his longtime allies, withheld endorsements over his coalition\u2019s failure to exempt ultra-Orthodox Israelis from military service.<\/p>\n

Herzog has not publicly committed to either side, saying that while the numbers may look clear, \u201cmutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves\u201d made it hard to tell who could build a coalition.<\/p>\n

Prior to the October 27 elections, reports emerged that the president wanted to push for a national unity government between Netanyahu and Eisenkot\u2019s rival parties to avoid another election.<\/p>\n

How difficult will it be to form a government?<\/h2>\n

No bloc has secured the 61 seats<\/a> needed to form a majority government. Netanyahu\u2019s right-wing and religious alliance has 53, four Jewish-led parties backing Eisenkot hold 48, and the Arab-led parties hold 19.<\/p>\n

Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government with the Arab-led parties, which would give him a 67-seat bloc. Winning over the two ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, would give him exactly 61 seats.<\/p>\n

United Torah Judaism has signalled that its support was available for the right price, but Shas endorsed Netanyahu on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu, meanwhile, would need to lure an opposition party to his side. A unity government with the two men rotating as prime minister \u2013 and excluding Arab-led parties from government \u2013 is another option, but many Netanyahu rivals have ruled out serving under him.<\/p>\n

Will Arab-led parties be part of the next government?<\/h2>\n

So far, it seems unlikely that they will.<\/p>\n

The Arab-led parties are the Joint List, an alliance of three parties, and the United Arab List (Ra\u2019am). They hold 11 and eight seats, respectively.<\/p>\n

Ra\u2019am says it is willing to join an Eisenkot-led government, while the Joint List has ruled out joining but offered to help put him in office from the outside.<\/p>\n

Both endorsed Eisenkot during consultations with President Herzog, but he has refused to bring either into government unless they meet certain conditions, including recognising Hamas as a \u201cterrorist organisation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ra\u2019am leader Mansour Abbas, whose party joined an anti-Netanyahu coalition in 2021 and became the first party representing Palestinians to enter government in Israel, has expressed support for disarming Hamas, but declined to label it as a \u201cterror\u201d group.<\/p>\n

However, Israeli law allows Eisenkot to become prime minister with fewer than 61 seats if his proposed government wins a parliamentary confidence vote \u2013 which the two could help him secure.<\/p>\n

Eisenkot could form a minority government in the meantime and later secure a majority by luring the two ultra-Orthodox parties by making concessions on the conscription issue.<\/p>\n

In positions that many observers see as highlighting the second-class nature of Palestinian citizens in Israel, some of Eisenkot\u2019s allies have opposed any reliance on Palestinian lawmakers, while Netanyahu\u2019s Likud has threatened that cooperating with the Arab-led parties would be \u201cdangerous to Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n

Senior Joint List member Ahmad Tibi told The Associated Press that rejecting a partnership would prove Israel is \u201can ethnocracy, not an absolute democracy for all citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n

What do Palestinian-led parties want from the next government?<\/h2>\n

First, an end to Netanyahu\u2019s rule.<\/p>\n

The Joint List said its unanimous backing for Eisenkot answered a \u201cpublic demand\u201d to stop Netanyahu and his government returning to power.<\/p>\n

By widening Eisenkot\u2019s lead, it said, it hoped to narrow the path to a unity government that keeps Netanyahu in office. Its support, it added, did not mean dropping its reservations about an opposition that had not shown readiness to confront Netanyahu\u2019s approach or incitement against Palestinian citizens of Israel.<\/p>\n

In return for outside support, Arab-led parties are seeking guarantees for Palestinian citizens, including an end to house demolitions and incitement, action against crime, and a political horizon for Palestinians.<\/p>\n

\"Palestinians
Palestinians inspect damage on the roof of a house blown up by Israeli forces in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on November 2, 2026 [John Wessels\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tibi told The AP he had no illusions that this would end Israel\u2019s wars or bring a Palestinian state, but said a \u201crepair government\u201d would improve Palestinian citizens\u2019 lives, including, potentially, by tackling violent crime in their communities.<\/p>\n

Ra\u2019am leader Abbas has also said ending the government of Netanyahu, and far-right figures such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, is a priority.<\/p>\n

What happens if no government can be formed?<\/h2>\n

The nominee chosen by Herzog will have 28 days to form a coalition, extendable by 14 more. If they fail, another nominee will be chosen and granted 28 days.<\/p>\n

If the second nominee fails, a parliament majority can back a third candidate, and be granted a final 14 days.<\/p>\n

If once again no government is formed, the Knesset will be dissolved and an entirely new election called within 90 days. This would mean Netanyahu staying on as caretaker prime minister.<\/p>\n

Nehru Jamhour, an analyst of Israeli affairs, told Al Jazeera that this drawn-out impasse was the likeliest outcome, and Netanyahu\u2019s preferred one. He said that Netanyahu was hoping that a repeat election could weaken his rivals and depress turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog must decide who gets the first attempt at forming a government, after an inconclusive election left both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, short of a parliamentary majority. Herzog has said he will task a candidate with forming a government on Sunday. Eisenkot has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t