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There has been such an earthquake in Israeli politics today that has shifted the ground from under the feet of Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been the pivot of power for a long time. In a historic and dramatic decision, the country’s President Isaac Herzog has chosen Netanyahu’s arch rival and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot to form a new government. This is considered to be the biggest blow to Netanyahu, who was hoping to become Prime Minister again. However, this invitation from the President is no less than a bed of flowers for Eysenkot; His path is very difficult and forming a government amid Israel’s complex coalition politics will be a big litmus test for him. Let us understand how all this happened in Israel and what will happen next.
The results of the recently concluded general elections in Israel were very complicated. No single party or block got a clear majority (61 seats). Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party emerged as the largest party, but the right-wing and religious bloc led by him also could not get the necessary numbers to form a government. On the other hand, the ‘Change Bloc’ or the opposition, which had come together to keep Netanyahu out of power, also did not have the majority figure. In this situation, President Herzog held extensive consultations with leaders of all parties.
During consultations, the President assesses which candidate has the greatest chance of building a coalition and gaining the confidence of the parliament (Knesset). According to sources, apart from the opposition parties, some parties who were angry with Netanyahu also supported Eizenkot. The role of Israel’s Arab-led parties was also important in this, which indicated their support to Eizenkot to keep Netanyahu away from power. The President said in his official statement that Eysenkot has the support of the highest number of MPs and hence he is being given the first chance to form the government. This decision is clearly a major political blow to Netanyahu and shows that his popularity and political ‘magic’ in Israel is now fading.
Who is Gaadi Eizenkot, who has given such a big defeat to Netanyahu? Eysenkot has been the 21st chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and is highly respected in the country. He is considered a sensible and strategic thinking person. He commanded the army from 2015 to 2019, during which he led several important military operations against groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. He comes from a Moroccan-Jewish immigrant family and his background ranges from an ordinary soldier to an army major.
After retiring from the army, Eysenkot entered politics and formed a new party called ‘Yashar’. His party has made its presence felt as a major rival in the 2026 elections and has strongly opposed Netanyahu’s authoritarian style of functioning and corruption allegations. Aizenkot’s political agenda is to keep national unity, rule of law and the security interests of the country paramount. He believes that Israel needs a leadership that will take all communities together and build a strong, secular and democratic state. Now that he has got the chance to form a government, he will try to form a coalition government that is based on these values. But this task is not so easy, because he will have to form a government which will take together parties with opposing ideologies.
Although the President has invited Eysenkot to form the government, his path is very difficult. Israel has 120 seats in the Knesset and the support of 61 seats is required to form a government. Aizenkot’s own party Yashar does not have enough seats to form the government on its own. They will have to form a coalition government, which will include parties with opposing ideologies. His ‘Change Bloc’ includes leftist, centrist and rightist parties, who were united only on the issue of removing Netanyahu. There are considerable differences of opinion between them on policy issues.
The biggest challenge is to win the support of Arab-led parties. Although she has indicated her support for Eizenkot to keep Netanyahu away from power, she may put forward several conditions for joining the government. It would be a historic moment in Israeli politics if Arab parties became part of the government, but it could make the coalition even more unstable. Apart from this, Netanyahu’s allies will also make every possible effort to topple Eizenkot’s government. Netanyahu has already announced that he will act as a strong opposition and will not let Eizenkot’s government rest even for a day.
Furthermore, Eysenkot would have to build a coalition that would bring together parties with opposing ideologies. His coalition will include left-wing parties that take a soft stance on the Palestinian issue, and right-wing parties that strongly oppose Palestinian statehood. Additionally, his coalition will also include secular parties that want separation between religion and state, and religious parties that want to strengthen religious laws. Keeping these parties with opposing ideologies together and running an effective government will be a major challenge for Eysenkot. If they fail to form a stable government, Israel may once again face elections.
Benjamin Netanyahu is considered a political magician and has bounced back from similar situations many times before. Although he did not receive the President’s invitation, he is still not ready to accept defeat. They would act as a strong opposition and try to destabilize Eysenkot’s government in every possible way. They would try to capitalize on the differences between the parties with opposing ideologies included in Eysenkot’s coalition and try to prevent them from coming together.
Apart from this, Netanyahu will also focus on his legal matters. He is facing corruption charges and cases are pending against him in the court. They will try to acquit themselves in these cases and strengthen their political image again. If he is acquitted in these cases, he can once again join the race to become the Prime Minister. But for now, they are out of power and it will be very difficult for them to make a comeback.
This is a new chapter in Israeli politics. A former army chief has the chance to form a government that challenges Netanyahu’s long rule. Forming a government will be a big test for Eysenkot, as he will have to form a government that will bring together parties with opposing ideologies. But if they succeed, they could usher in a new era in Israeli politics. And if they fail, Israel may once again face elections. It will be interesting to see what happens next.