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Politics Israel

Israel forms a new government

Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot holds the mandate to form a government, and his bloc is moving to replace the Netanyahu-allied Knesset speaker. After Netanyahu attacked Arab parties at the Nov 10 swearing-in, Eisenkot's camp called off planned talks with Likud.

Confidence: medium. The swearing-in and Eisenkot's mandate are on the record; coalition positions rely partly on unnamed sources and are shifting. · Updated 11 Nov 2026, 2pm ET

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What's happening

In the October 27 election, Prime Minister Netanyahu's bloc won 53 of 120 seats, the bloc backing challenger Gadi Eisenkot won 48, and Arab-led parties won a record 19. In consultations with President Herzog, 67 lawmakers, including those from both Arab-majority parties, recommended Eisenkot, 46 recommended Netanyahu and seven abstained, while United Torah Judaism, traditionally aligned with Netanyahu, endorsed neither candidate. Netanyahu's Likud filed 1,200 complaints over voting in Arab communities, but the election commission found no evidence of irregularities affecting the results, and the results were certified on Nov 4. The makeup of any Eisenkot coalition is unclear: Haaretz reports he has signaled readiness for a minority government, which Liberman has ruled out, and Liberman says easing the draft demand could bring ultra-Orthodox parties into a coalition that does not rely on Arab support. Herzog is due to name his candidate on Nov 8, and the new Knesset convenes Nov 10.

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Key figures

53 / 48 / 19Knesset seats: Netanyahu bloc / Eisenkot bloc / Arab-led parties (61 needed)NBC News · source

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