The Knesset took office on 10 November as Gadi Eisenkot worked to form a government after receiving the mandate; Benjamin Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister.
Israel’s new parliament, the Knesset, was sworn in on 10 November 2026 as Gadi Eisenkot worked to form a coalition. Benjamin Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister and would be replaced by Eisenkot only if he succeeds in forming a government.
President Isaac Herzog’s office said on 7 November that he had chosen Eisenkot for the first opportunity to form a government. Eisenkot is a former military chief who leads the centrist Yashar party.
Immediately after the swearing-in, Yashar and other opposition parties submitted bills proposing a state inquiry into failures that allowed Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, limits on a prime minister’s time in office and the repeal of judicial changes enacted under Netanyahu. France 24 said Netanyahu had long resisted an inquiry. The bills have not been enacted.
Neither main bloc won the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority in October’s election. A minority government can still take office if it wins a parliamentary confidence vote.
| Bloc | Seats |
|---|---|
| Eisenkot’s alliance | 48 |
| Netanyahu’s bloc | 53 |
During Herzog’s consultations, 67 lawmakers endorsed Eisenkot, including members of the Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List. That was not an agreement to join a government: Ra’am said it was willing to join, while the Joint List offered support from outside. Eisenkot set conditions for either to join, including recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization.
A nominee has 28 days to form a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension. The opposition parties want to use their parliamentary majority to advance legislation before a government is formed, although
A state commission of inquiry is a formal investigative body whose chair and members are appointed by the president of Israel’s Supreme Court. Currently, the government can establish one, as can the Knesset’s State Audit Committee in specified circumstances involving a state comptroller’s report. The opposition is considering legislation that would let the Knesset establish a commission without a government decision.
Yashar also seeks to undo changes to the attorney general’s powers and judicial appointments. The existing measures allow the government to reject the attorney general’s legal position in certain circumstances and give it broader access to separate representation in court. Changes approved in 2025 replaced Israel Bar Association representatives on the judicial selection committee with representatives chosen by the coalition and opposition.
Yashar proposed amending Basic Law: The Government to establish a maximum term for prime ministers; outgoing opposition leader Yair Lapid introduced a similar proposal for an eight-year limit. Ynet said an earlier eight-year proposal passed its first reading under the Bennett-Lapid government but was not completed.
The new bills are at the start of the legislative process. Private members' bills require a preliminary reading, three further readings and committee debates; opponents can use parliamentary procedures to delay them.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana scheduled a vote on his successor for 17 November. Ohana said he granted a request from 67 lawmakers for the vote; the request was not an agreement to form a government. The speaker sets the legislature’s agenda.
Eisenkot’s bloc said it had enough votes to elect Matan Kahana, a former senior military figure, as speaker. Lawmakers have yet to vote on his nomination.
Shin Bet is investigating whether Arab-led parties received illegal funding from Qatar and Turkey. The agency says the inquiry does not implicate an entire community that voted legally; acting election committee director Dean Livne says there is no basis for allegations of systematic election-integrity violations.
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Projections for the October 27 parliamentary election put Gadi Eisenkot’s allies on 52 seats and Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc on 50, leaving both needing more support to reach the 61-seat majority.
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Final results published on 30 October 2026 give Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc 48 in Israel’s 120-member parliament; neither reaches the 61 needed to govern. Turnout was 77.9%.
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