Israel's opposition leaders have agreed to back former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister, pledging to form a 'national emergency government' to replace Benjamin Netanyahu's administration after last week's election left neither bloc with a clear majority.
The five party heads met on Tuesday in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, in their first joint meeting since the October 27 election. In a joint statement, the leaders said all their parties would recommend Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, to President Isaac Herzog. According to The Jerusalem Post, the meeting brought together Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu, Yair Golan of the Democrats, and Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid.
The agreement comes a day before Herzog begins consultations with parties on who should form the next government. But the bloc remains divided over whether to ally with Arab-led parties, whose support could prove decisive.
Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, the opposition 48, and Arab-led parties 19, with the Joint List taking 11 and Ra'am eight. A majority requires 61 seats.
“The party leaders are coordinated and will act immediately to replace the ‘Oct. 7 government’ with a national emergency government,” the statement said. 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.
“We don’t have time – we must act with great urgency,” Bennett told reporters.
Yousef Jabareen, head of the largest Arab-led party in the next parliament, said the opposition needed to accept “political reality” and join forces to remove Netanyahu.
Golan is the only opposition leader openly backing an alliance with Arab-led parties, saying it is racist to exclude them. He met the leaders of Arab-led parties before the talks. 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.
Liberman has firmly opposed including Arab-led parties, although he also wants to avoid another election.
On Monday, Netanyahu called for a “broad national government” under his leadership, saying his Likud party, with 27 seats, remained the largest. He has ruled out a coalition with Arab-majority lists, alleging they “support terrorism and deny the existence of the Jewish state”.
Herzog will hold consultations on Wednesday and Thursday. Eisenkot could receive the most recommendations if he secures the backing of Arab lawmakers.
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Knesset seats by bloc after the October 27 election
Knesset seats
A majority requires 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Source: Al Jazeera
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Analysis
Why This Matters
The outcome of coalition talks will determine whether Israel can form a stable government amid the ongoing war in Gaza and regional tensions.
An opposition-led government could shift policy on the Gaza conflict, relations with Arab citizens, and the role of Arab-led parties.
The deadlock risks another election if neither side can secure 61 seats, prolonging political uncertainty.
Background
Israel held its fifth election in under four years on October 27, 2026. The vote resulted in a fragmented Knesset: Netanyahu's right-religious bloc won 53 seats, the opposition 48, and Arab-led parties 19. No bloc holds a majority, making Arab parties potential kingmakers. The opposition is united in seeking to remove Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption and wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Key Perspectives
Gadi Eisenkot and opposition leaders: Back a national emergency government to replace Netanyahu's administration, with negotiating teams already drafting coalition agreements. They are divided on whether to include Arab-led parties.
Benjamin Netanyahu: Calls for a broad national government under his leadership, ruling out coalitions with Arab-majority lists, which he accuses of supporting terrorism.
Yousef Jabareen (Joint List): Urges the opposition to accept the political reality and partner with Arab parties to remove Netanyahu.
Yair Golan (Democrats): Openly backs alliance with Arab-led parties, calling exclusion racist.
Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu): Firmly opposes including Arab-led parties but wants to avoid another election.
What to Watch
President Herzog's consultations on Wednesday and Thursday: which candidate receives the most recommendations.
Whether Eisenkot can secure the backing of Arab lawmakers to reach 61 recommendations.
The possibility of another election if no coalition can be formed within the mandated 42-day period.
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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SupportedIsrael’s opposition leaders have united behind Gadi Eisenkot to oust Netanyahu.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Israel’s 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.”
SupportedThe opposition leaders pledged to replace Netanyahu’s administration with a national emergency government after the election left neither bloc with a majority.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The five party heads met on Tuesday in the city of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, in their first joint meeting since the October 27 election, which left neither bloc with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.”
SupportedAll five party heads agreed to recommend Eisenkot as prime minister to President Isaac Herzog.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “In a joint statement, the leaders said all their parties would recommend Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, to Herzog”
SupportedThe five party heads met on Tuesday in Herzliya for their first joint meeting since the October 27 election.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The five party heads met on Tuesday in the city of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, in their first joint meeting since the October 27 election”
SupportedThe meeting brought together Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan and Yair Lapid, according to The Jerusalem Post.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The meeting brought together Eisenkot, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan of the Democrats, and Yair Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid party, according to The Jerusalem Post.”
SupportedThe leaders said they would act immediately to replace the ‘Oct. 7 government’ with a national emergency government.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““The party leaders are coordinated and will act immediately to replace the ‘Oct. 7 government’ with a national emergency government,” the statement said.”
SupportedNetanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, the opposition 48 and Arab-led parties 19; the Joint List won 11 and Ra’am eight, while 61 seats are needed for a majority.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, the opposition 48, and Arab-led parties 19, with the Joint List taking 11 and Ra’am eight. A majority requires 61 seats.”
SupportedThe leaders stood by four Eisenkot principles, including recognising Israel as a Jewish state and labelling Hamas a terrorist group; those conditions could exclude some Arab-led parties.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “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.”
SupportedBennett told reporters, “We don’t have time – we must act with great urgency.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““We don’t have time – we must act with great urgency,” Bennett, whose party came third, told reporters.”
SupportedYousef Jabareen said the opposition needed to accept “political reality” and join forces to remove Netanyahu.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Yousef Jabareen, head of the largest Arab-led party in the next parliament, said the opposition needed to accept “political reality” and join forces to remove Netanyahu.”
SupportedGolan is the only opposition leader openly backing an alliance with Arab-led parties and says excluding them is racist.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Golan is the only opposition leader openly backing an alliance with Arab-led parties, saying it is racist to exclude them.”
SupportedHerzog will hold consultations on Wednesday and Thursday, and Eisenkot could receive the most recommendations if he secures Arab lawmakers’ backing.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Herzog will hold consultations on Wednesday and Thursday. Eisenkot could receive the most recommendations if he secures the backing of Arab lawmakers.”