Incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bid to retain power suffered another major blow on Friday morning, November 6, 2026. Representatives of the B’Yachad (Together) party, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, formally endorsed Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot to form Israel’s next coalition government.
The endorsement came during the second day of official consultations conducted by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is scheduled to formally assign the mandate to form a government on November 8.
Eisenkot Builds Clear Majority Advantage
The endorsement by Bennett’s B’Yachad party consolidates Eisenkot’s position as the leading candidate to succeed Netanyahu:
- Exceeding the Threshold: Eisenkot has already secured 67 total recommendations—surpassing the 61-seat threshold required for a working majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
- Support Base Breakdown: Eisenkot’s backing includes 11 seats from the Joint List, 8 seats from Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am party, alongside endorsements from Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad and centrist allies.
- Netanyahu’s Coalition Struggles: In contrast, Netanyahu commands only 58 recommendations from his traditional Likud-led bloc, hampered further by ultra-Orthodox faction defections over military conscription laws.
Coalition Challenges & Proportional Representation
Despite holding a clear recommendation lead, Eisenkot faces complex political negotiations ahead:
- Ideological Friction: While the Arab-led Joint List and Ra’am parties recommended Eisenkot to block Netanyahu, deep policy differences remain regarding whether Arab factions will formally enter the executive cabinet or provide confidence-and-supply support from outside.
- Electoral System Dynamics: Under Israel’s pure proportional representation system, national party lists must clear a 3.25% electoral threshold to enter the Knesset. Smaller right-wing parties aligned with Netanyahu fell short of this bar, severely limiting his potential coalition math.
President Herzog will complete consultations before announcing on Sunday, November 8, which leader will receive the initial 28-day mandate to assemble the government.
