Gadi Eisenkot Asks Netanyahu’s Likud to Join New Government Under Him
Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot was officially tasked on Sunday with forming a new administration, opening the door for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and a key far-right faction to join a coalition under his own leadership. Political factions and lawmakers face pressing domestic realities following an inconclusive October 27 election and shifting diplomatic conditions abroad.
President Isaac Herzog formally assigned the mandate in Jerusalem, warning that the country faces heightened uncertainties following elections in the United States and requires a stable government to navigate the changing political environment. While Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the late October vote, his bloc still emerged as the largest single faction in parliament, leaving the long-serving leader fighting to stay in office.
Eisenkot directed his coalition pitch directly toward Netanyahu’s party and the Religious Zionist Party, led by far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.
“If members of Likud and the Religious Zionist Party truly believe this is a time for unity, as they told the president, I cannot conceive of any reason why they would not support a government under my leadership and the principles I have presented,” Eisenkot said.
The proposed political alignment bridges deep ideological divides. Eisenkot has previously criticized settler violence against Palestinians, which has escalated since 2023, and has actively opposed hardline partners like Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
