Eisenkot has the mandate to form Israel's next government. How the 28-day clock works, and what happens if he fails

Short answer: Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government on Nov. 8, 2026, after 67 incoming lawmakers recommended him and 46 backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Under Basic Law: The Government, Eisenkot has 28 days, to about Dec. 6, plus up to 14 more if Herzog extends. Recommendations are not a 61-seat coalition.

Key facts (updated Nov. 10, 2026, about 4:25 p.m. CT) - Mandate: handed to Eisenkot at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, Nov. 8 (Ynet). - The tally: 67 recommendations for Eisenkot, 46 for Netanyahu; United Torah Judaism's 7 members recommended no one (JNS, Fox News). - The law: 28 days to form a government, extendable by up to 14 days in total (Basic Law: The Government, art. 8). - The dates: 28 days from Nov. 8 is Dec. 6 by our count, the date Israel Hayom also gives. A full extension would run to about Dec. 20. - Sworn in: the 26th Knesset convened Tuesday, Nov. 10, and all 120 members took the oath (Jerusalem Post, BBC). - Majority: 61 of 120 seats. Neither bloc won that on Oct. 27.

The Oct. 27 seat count is in our final-results story. This page picks up at the mandate.

Who got the mandate, and why him?

Herzog consulted every faction elected to the 26th Knesset, as article 7 of the Basic Law requires. He announced the tally Nov. 5. "The results of the consultations may appear clear," he said, according to JNS, "but the authority vested in me by law is to determine who has the ability to form a government, and that is not entirely clear, given the mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves."

At Sunday's ceremony, Ynet quoted Herzog: "representatives of 67 members of Knesset recommended the chairman of Yashar as the person who should receive the mandate." He said he was acting "by virtue of my authority under Basic Law: The Government."

Update, Nov. 10, 2026, about 4:25 p.m. CT: The 26th Knesset convened Tuesday and swore in all 120 members, including 47 first-time lawmakers and 33 women, the Jerusalem Post reported. The BBC also reported the swearing-in. It does not change Eisenkot's clock.

How long does Eisenkot have?

Article 8 of the Basic Law gives the designated member 28 days. The president "is entitled to prolong this period by additional periods, as long as all together they shall not exceed 14 days."

Counting from Nov. 8, day 28 is Dec. 6. That is our arithmetic, and it matches the expiry date Israel Hayom reported. If Herzog grants the full extension, the outer limit is about Dec. 20. Ynet reported that Eisenkot does not intend to swear in a government this week even if he reaches a deal sooner.

Why don't 67 recommendations make a government?

A recommendation is advice to the president, not a coalition agreement. Fox News reported that the four-party alliance seeking to replace Netanyahu won 48 seats. The rest of Eisenkot's 67 came from the two Arab-led parties, the Joint List and Ra'am, with 19 seats between them. Some of his would-be partners have ruled out depending on those parties. Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats, and Fox reported that Shas, with six of them, recommended Netanyahu.

That leaves a few paths, as outlets on both sides describe them. The Guardian lists three: a power-sharing deal with Netanyahu, support from Arab-led parties, or a deal with the ultra-Orthodox parties. Fox and Israel Hayom report that Yisrael Beytenu's Avigdor Lieberman signaled flexibility on the military draft law. That would make talks with United Torah Judaism possible. Eisenkot and Democrats leader Yair Golan are still insisting on universal service. Fox also reported that a minority government relying on abstentions has been discussed by Eisenkot's allies, and that Lieberman rejects one that depends on the Arab factions.

Netanyahu, who stays on as caretaker prime minister, called for a "national unity government" on Saturday night (Ynet, The Guardian). Ynet reported that Yashar rejected the offer in its current form.

What happens if he fails?

The Basic Law lays out the fallback steps:

1. Second nominee (art. 9). Within three days after the period ends, or after Eisenkot says he cannot form a government, the president either assigns the task to another willing member or tells the Knesset speaker he sees no possibility of a government. A second nominee gets 28 days. The text gives no extension for this round.
2. Knesset majority (art. 10). A majority of Knesset members, at least 61 of 120, may then ask the president in writing, within 21 days, to assign a named member who has agreed in writing. The president must do so within two days, and that member has 14 days.
3. New elections (art. 11). If none of that produces a government, the law leads to early elections.

The Guardian notes that Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 because of repeated deadlocks.

How is each side covering it?

• Left-leaning outlets framed the mandate around Eisenkot's warnings. The Washington Post headlined his move "to oust Netanyahu" and his warning of a "devastating" loss of confidence among allies. The Guardian put Israel's diplomatic isolation and Netanyahu's unsupported claims that the election was "stolen" high in its story.
• Right-leaning outlets focused on the arithmetic and the divisions in the anti-Netanyahu camp. Fox News stressed that the 67 endorsements "do not translate into a 67-seat governing coalition." Israel Hayom detailed the bloc's disputes over the ultra-Orthodox and the speakership. JNS led with Herzog's "mutual vetoes" caution.
• Common ground: all agree on the 67–46 tally, the 28-day clock with up to 14 more days, and the lack of an agreed 61-seat majority.

We are not predicting who will form Israel's next government.

Sources

• The Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government (English, PDF)
• Ynet, Eisenkot formally tasked with forming government, Nov. 8
• The Guardian, Eisenkot reaches out to Netanyahu allies, Nov. 8
• The Washington Post, Eisenkot moves to oust Netanyahu, Nov. 8
• Fox News, Israeli president taps Netanyahu rival, Nov. 7
• Israel Hayom, Eisenkot's coalition challenge, Nov. 8
• JNS, Herzog: 67 MKs recommend Eisenkot, Nov. 6

Photo: Mark Neyman, courtesy of the Spokesperson Unit of the President of Israel, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped to 16:9). The garden at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, May 2017. File photo; illustration only — not a photo of the Nov. 8 ceremony.

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources. Written and edited by The Whole Read newsroom under Monsaur Othman's editorial standards. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.