# Israel's president picks Eisenkot over Netanyahu for government

> Israel's president selects opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot to form government after Netanyahu's party won most seats but lacked majority.
- Title: Israel's president picks Eisenkot over Netanyahu for…
- Summary: Israel's president selects opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot to form government after Netanyahu's party won most seats but lacked majority.
- Keywords: israel, gadi eisenkot, benjamin netanyahu, israeli elections, israeli parliament, parliamentary majority, coalition government, yashar party, NPR
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/11/07/g-s1-152536/netanyahu-israel-government-eisenkot-herzog
- Published: 2026-11-07T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: israel, gadi eisenkot, benjamin netanyahu, israeli elections, israeli parliament, parliamentary majority, coalition government, yashar party, news, world
## Israel's president taps Eisenkot for government
Israel's president Isaac Herzog will formally give Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form the next government at 5 p.m. Sunday local time.
## Netanyahu's party wins most seats but lacks majority
Netanyahu's Likud party won 27 seats in last month's election, six more than Eisenkot's Yashar party, but neither secured enough support for a majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament.
## Eisenkot's background and coalition challenge
Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces chief from 2015 to 2019, leads Yashar party with anti-corruption platform and has 28 days to form coalition government with 61 seats needed.
## Coalition negotiations face obstacles
Eisenkot must negotiate with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and Arab-led Palestinian citizen parties, who make up 20% of Israel and had record turnout in elections.
## Key takeaway

Israel's president Isaac Herzog will give Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a government after Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats but failed to secure a parliamentary majority.