Herzog starts talks on Israel’s next government
Netanyahu and Eisenkot face weeks of talks, with a unity government or a new election now possible.
President Isaac Herzog starts consultations on Wednesday with party representatives, France 24 reported, turning Israel’s certified vote into a contest over who can build a coalition rather than who heads the largest party. That gives the presidency the first move in a bargaining fight that Benjamin Netanyahu cannot settle by pointing only to Likud.
Al Israel’s Central Elections Committee certified the results after finding no evidence of fraud. The certified result left the Netanyahu-led bloc with 53 parliamentary seats, Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc with 48, and the Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List with a record 19. France 24 reported that neither Netanyahu’s camp nor Eisenkot’s camp secured a majority in parliament.
The immediate timetable is short, but the coalition fight is not. Herzog will hold an initial two days of consultations, then give a contender 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension. That calendar makes the first presidential choice a gate, not an outcome.
What was on the record, and when
- Nov. 2, 2026
- Nov. 3, 2026
- Nov. 4, 2026
- Eisenkot is expected to receive support from parties representing 60 seats, compared with 46 for Netanyahu, according to the figures reported ahead of the consultations.JournalArta
- Israel’s main opposition leaders have agreed to back former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister, promising to replace Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as quickly as possible.aljazeera.com
- The leaders stood by four principles set out by Eisenkot, including that all parties in government recognise Israel as a Jewish state and label Hamas a “terrorist” group, conditions that could exclude some Arab-led parties.aljazeera.com
- He met the leaders of Arab-led parties before the talks and promised to tackle high crime faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel in their communities.aljazeera.com
- Afterwards, the two sides stressed their “shared interest in using the parliamentary majority to bring down the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir-Smotrich government and replace it”, according to a statement.aljazeera.com
- On Monday, Netanyahu called for a “broad national government” under his leadership, saying his Likud party, with 27 seats, remained the largest.aljazeera.com
- Israel’s main opposition leaders have agreed to back former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister, promising to replace Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as quickly as possible.aljazeera.com
- Israel’s main opposition leaders agreed to back Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister.aljazeera.com
- Israel’s Central Elections Committee has certified the results of last week’s general elections after finding no evidence of fraud, a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to discredit the vote.aljazeera.com
- This comes after the Netanyahu-led bloc won 53 parliamentary seats in the October 27 vote, while Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc got 48, and the Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List secured a record 19.aljazeera.com
- The results were submitted to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, who will now hold two days of consultations with the leaders of the blocs before choosing the candidate best placed to form a coalition.aljazeera.com
- After holding two days of consultations, the president will give a contender 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension.aljazeera.com
- The election deadlock raises the possibility of a unity government or an alliance between Eisenkot and Arab-led parties.aljazeera.com
- If no one is able to form a governing coalition, Israel would hold another election early next year.aljazeera.com
- Herzog will hold an initial two days of consultations and then give a contender 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension.english.aawsat.com
- It took Netanyahu, who at the time had a better showing by Likud, 58 days to form a government after the last election in November 2022.english.aawsat.com
- The political negotiations come after Israel's election commission said its review found no evidence of fraud or irregularities that could have compromised the integrity of last week's vote.Livemint
- The commission said its investigation examined every complaint individually and found no evidence that the results were invalid.Livemint
- The consultations are expected to continue over two days, during which party representatives will communicate whom they support as the candidate best placed to form the next government.Livemint
- The two main contenders are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, although the final decision will depend on the political consultations and the support each candidate can demonstrate.Livemint
- With neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot's alliance securing a majority, Herzog will consult party representatives before choosing a candidate to form the next government.Republic World
- Following two days of consultations, he will choose the candidate, most likely Netanyahu or his chief rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who he believes is best positioned to form a coalition government, setting the stage for weeks of negotiations.Republic World
- The decision is a weighty one as neither the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor that of his rival Gadi Eisenkot secured a majority in parliament.France 24
- Herzog starts consultations on Wednesday with party representatives as he decides on a candidate who has the best chance of forming a government -- not necessarily the one whose party holds the most seats.France 24
- Herzog told MS Now he would do everything he could to avoid a fresh election -- a possibility if neither camp can cobble together a coalition -- including backing a unity government between Netanyahu and Eisenkot.France 24
- The election deadlock raises the possibility of a unity government or an alliance between Eisenkot and Arab-led parties.aljazeera.com
- If no one is able to form a governing coalition, Israel would hold another election early next year.aljazeera.com
- If no one can form a governing coalition, Israel would hold another election early next year.aljazeera.com
- After two days of consultations, the president will give a contender 28 days to form a government.aljazeera.com
Show the data
| Day | New claims | On the record | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 2, 2026 | 1 | 1 | C23 |
| Nov. 3, 2026 | 7 | 8 | C9–C13, C31, C32 |
| Nov. 4, 2026 | 21 | 29 | C1–C8, C14–C22, C30, C29, C33, C34 |
Livemint reported Wednesday that the two main contenders are Netanyahu and opposition leader Eisenkot, and that the final decision will depend on the consultations and on the support each candidate can demonstrate. That suggests Netanyahu’s argument from party size is a claim to bargaining strength, not a rule that binds Herzog.
Netanyahu is still making that claim. Al on Monday he called for a “broad national government” under his leadership, saying Likud remained the largest party with 27 seats. The move is clear enough: ask rivals to treat fragmentation as a reason to return power to the familiar incumbent rather than test a looser alternative.
The fraud fight has narrowed as a public route for him. Livemint reported Wednesday that Israel’s election review found no evidence of fraud or irregularities that could have compromised the integrity of last week’s vote. It also reported that the investigation examined every complaint individually and found no evidence that the results were invalid. That does not force a coalition, but it removes one way to argue that the count itself should not anchor the talks.
Eisenkot’s opening is broader and more brittle. Ahead of the consultations, JournalArta reported that Eisenkot was expected to receive support from parties representing 60 seats, compared with 46 for Netanyahu. That reported lead matters only if it survives the terms his partners set.
The Arab-led parties are the hinge. Al the deadlock raises the possibility of a unity government or an alliance between Eisenkot and Arab-led parties. A day earlier, it reported that Eisenkot met leaders of Arab-led parties before the talks and promised to tackle high crime faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel in their communities. That gives him an issue bridge, but not yet a government.
The same talks carry their own trap. Al opposition leaders stood by principles set out by Eisenkot, including that all parties in government recognise Israel as a Jewish state and label Hamas a “terrorist” group, conditions that could exclude some Arab-led parties. Afterwards, the two sides stressed their “shared interest in using the parliamentary majority to bring down the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir-Smotrich government and replace it”, according to a statement cited by Al Jazeera. The common enemy is visible; the common platform is less secure.
How the reading is built
Herzog’s decision can favor the contender who shows the best coalition support, not simply the leader of the largest party.
- On Monday, Netanyahu called for a “broad national government” under his leadership, saying his Likud party, with 27 seats, remained the largest.aljazeera.com
- The two main contenders are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, although the final decision will depend on the political consultations and the support each candidate can demonstrate.Livemint
- Herzog starts consultations on Wednesday with party representatives as he decides on a candidate who has the best chance of forming a government -- not necessarily the one whose party holds the most seats.France 24
Eisenkot’s route is helped by Arab-led parties but constrained by conditions that could exclude some of them.
- The election deadlock raises the possibility of a unity government or an alliance between Eisenkot and Arab-led parties.aljazeera.com
- The leaders stood by four principles set out by Eisenkot, including that all parties in government recognise Israel as a Jewish state and label Hamas a “terrorist” group, conditions that could exclude some Arab-led parties.aljazeera.com
- He met the leaders of Arab-led parties before the talks and promised to tackle high crime faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel in their communities.aljazeera.com
- Afterwards, the two sides stressed their “shared interest in using the parliamentary majority to bring down the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir-Smotrich government and replace it”, according to a statement.aljazeera.com
Because the sources describe weeks of negotiations and the possibility of another election, an Israeli household faces political delay rather than immediate clarity from the vote.
- If no one is able to form a governing coalition, Israel would hold another election early next year.aljazeera.com
- Following two days of consultations, he will choose the candidate, most likely Netanyahu or his chief rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who he believes is best positioned to form a coalition government, setting the stage for weeks of negotiations.Republic World
Because the sources describe weeks of negotiations and no majority for either camp, institutions exposed to Israeli policy risk face price moves on political headlines until a candidate shows support.
- With neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot's alliance securing a majority, Herzog will consult party representatives before choosing a candidate to form the next government.Republic World
- Following two days of consultations, he will choose the candidate, most likely Netanyahu or his chief rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who he believes is best positioned to form a coalition government, setting the stage for weeks of negotiations.Republic World
- The decision is a weighty one as neither the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor that of his rival Gadi Eisenkot secured a majority in parliament.France 24
If Herzog chooses Eisenkot after consultations, the evidence will support the view that coalition support outweighed the largest-party claim; if he chooses Netanyahu, it will weaken it.
- On Monday, Netanyahu called for a “broad national government” under his leadership, saying his Likud party, with 27 seats, remained the largest.aljazeera.com
- The two main contenders are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, although the final decision will depend on the political consultations and the support each candidate can demonstrate.Livemint
- Herzog starts consultations on Wednesday with party representatives as he decides on a candidate who has the best chance of forming a government -- not necessarily the one whose party holds the most seats.France 24
Show the data
| Conclusion | Class | Built from |
|---|---|---|
| C24 | Inferred | C13, C17, C21 |
| C25 | Inferred | C5, C10–C12 |
| C26 | Financial implication | C6, C19 |
| C27 | Financial implication | C18–C20 |
| C28 | Testable | C13, C17, C21 |
The Bargain Can Still Fail
The cleanest rival reading is that Herzog’s consultations produce pressure for unity rather than a transfer of power. The French broadcaster reported Wednesday that Herzog told MS Now he would do everything he could to avoid a fresh election, including backing a unity government between Netanyahu and Eisenkot. That possibility helps explain why both men may want to appear indispensable before any compromise hardens.
There is also precedent for delay. After the last election in November 2022, it took Netanyahu 58 days to form a government, even though Likud then had a better showing. The present arithmetic gives no reason to assume the first mandate ends the matter faster.
The cost of failure is another vote. Al if no one can form a governing coalition, Israel would hold another election early next year. That threat gives Herzog, Netanyahu, Eisenkot and the smaller parties a shared reason to bargain, but not a shared reason to accept the same bargain.
An Israeli household trying to read the election as immediate political clarity gets a delay instead. Republic World reported Wednesday that the consultations set the stage for weeks of negotiations. On those reports, the vote has produced bargaining time before it produces governing direction.
Institutions exposed to Israeli policy risk face the same sequence in market form. Republic World reported that neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor Eisenkot’s alliance secured a majority, and that Herzog will consult party representatives before choosing a candidate. Until a candidate shows enough support, political headlines can move risk before policy does.
The first public check is Herzog’s choice. If he chooses Eisenkot after consultations, the evidence will favor the reading that support across blocs beat Netanyahu’s largest-party claim. If he chooses Netanyahu, the reading weakens, because the presidency will have treated Netanyahu’s route as the stronger path to a coalition.
The certified vote did not settle power in Israel. It handed Herzog a sorting problem: decide which contender can turn enemies of the current government, wary partners and a fear of another election into a majority that can actually govern.
The last time
Netanyahu formed a government after the last election
What rhymes
Then, as now, coalition talks followed an election and Netanyahu was a central contender for power.
What is different
This time, France 24 reported that neither Netanyahu’s camp nor Eisenkot’s camp secured a majority in parliament.
What it means for the forecast
The earlier delay suggests the present talks can run beyond the first presidential move, but it does not show which contender will prevail.
Sources: english.aawsat.com, Nov 4, 2026; France 24, Nov 4, 2026