Israel’s president to pick candidate to form government as Netanyahu rival gains support

The Irish Times · Fri Nov · 2026-11-06 08:19 UTC

Gadi Eisenkot secures support from a majority of lawmakers but unclear if he can form a coalition

Binyamin Netanyahu’s main rival secured nods on Thursday from a majority of lawmakers to try to form a government, but Israel’s president said it was still unclear who could break the election deadlock as he pledged to nominate a candidate on Sunday.

Israel’s October 27th national ballot ended with no clear winner. Neither prime minister Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief, secured a clear path to a majority in parliament.

That has set up a tough task for president Yitzhak Herzog, whose mostly ceremonial role comes with the post-election responsibility of picking a candidate he believes has the best chance to form a coalition in a deeply divided country.

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