Israel's President Herzog Puts Off Choice of Premier-Designate Until Sunday Despite Eisenkot's 67 Endorsements to Netanyahu's 46
Jerusalem — Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on the evening of November 5 that he would not yet decide who receives the mandate to form a government, saying he expects to announce his choice on Sunday, November 8. He had just concluded two days of consultations with the parties of the incoming Knesset, in which opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot collected endorsements from lawmakers holding 67 seats, while incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's side held only 46, well short of the 61-seat threshold.
Herzog said the results of the consultations may appear clear on paper, but that the authority vested in him by law is to determine who is actually able to form a government, and that cross-vetoes between and within the blocs made that not entirely clear. He pledged to spare no effort before Sunday to build bridges and form a stable and solid government for the people of Israel. Eisenkot's Yashar party said in a statement that evening that Eisenkot had received an absolute majority of recommendations, the highest number since 2015, that Netanyahu has no mandate, no majority and no trust of the people, and urged Herzog to announce the mandate for Eisenkot promptly.
The final tally stood at 67 to 46: Eisenkot's 67 comprised the 48 seats of the opposition bloc, 8 from the Arab party Ra'am and 11 from the Joint List. United Torah Judaism, whose demand for draft exemptions went unmet, refused to recommend anyone, cutting Netanyahu's endorsements from 53 to 46. Under Israeli law, whoever receives the mandate will have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. The new Knesset is to be sworn in on November 10, and Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.
During his meeting with the Yashar party, Herzog also said it was like a bolt from the blue when U.S. President Donald Trump announced on midterm election day that he would end U.S. aid to Israel. He noted that the U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding is supposed to last until 2028 and that, for that reason, a government must be formed rather than the country returning to repeated elections.
Related: Joint List Formally Recommends Eisenkot: Endorsements Reach 67 Seats to Netanyahu Camp's 46
Related: Ultra-Orthodox Party Recommends No One as Arab Parties Back Eisenkot, Weakening Netanyahu Further
Source: The Times of Israel
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：以色列总统 Isaac Herzog 官方肖像（2021年）。照片 CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of Israeli President Isaac Herzog (2021). CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-19Ahead of Next Week's Israeli Election, Polls Put Eisenkot's Bloc at 52 Seats to Netanyahu's 50; Arab Turnout Could Decide Who Governs
- 2026-10-19Hegseth Meets Netanyahu on Unannounced Israel Visit, as Vance Declines to Endorse Netanyahu the Same Day
- 2026-10-20Trump Gives Netanyahu His Complete and Total Endorsement Ahead of Israel's Oct. 27 Election, With a Warning to Iran
- 2026-10-21Bank of Israel Holds Benchmark Rate at 3.25%, Pausing After Three Straight Cuts a Week Before the Election; 2026 Growth Forecast at 5.6%
- 2026-10-26Follow-up: On Election Eve, Netanyahu Touts Trump's Endorsement and Says He Ordered Mossad and IDF to Bring Down Iran's Regime; Rival Cites Fear-Mongering
- 2026-10-27Israel Holds Knesset Election on October 27: 7.33 Million Voters, 12,018 Polling Stations Open Until 10 p.m.
- 2026-10-27Follow-Up: Israel Election Turnout Fastest in 49 Years as 31.5% Vote in First Five Hours; Shekel Jumps Nearly 1% to a Three-Week High
- 2026-10-27Follow-Up: Israel Exit Polls Put Likud First With 25 Seats, but Neither Bloc Reaches the 61 Seats Needed to Govern
- 2026-10-28Follow-up: With Over 70% of Votes Counted in Israel's Election, Netanyahu Bloc Projected at 54 Seats, Still Short of a Majority; Shekel Falls About 2%
- 2026-10-28Follow-Up: With About 86% Counted, Likud Leads Israel Election With 26 Seats but Neither Bloc Has a Majority; Herzog Urges Parties to Avoid Another Election
- 2026-10-29Follow-Up: Israel's Election Chief Asks Shin Bet to Probe Suspected Foreign Interference Within a Week Amid Qatar Funding Claims
- 2026-10-30Israel's Final Election Results: Netanyahu's Bloc Falls Short at 53 Seats, Arab Parties Hold the Balance With 19
- 2026-11-02Follow-Up: Israel's Arab Parties Set to Back Eisenkot to Form a Government, Lifting His Support to 67 Seats
- 2026-11-03Follow-Up: Israel's Five Opposition Parties Agree to Recommend Eisenkot to Form the Government
- 2026-11-04President Herzog Receives Israel's Official Election Results and Opens Coalition Consultations, Smallest Parties First
- 2026-11-04Follow-Up: Security Alert at Israel's President's Residence on First Day of Coalition Consultations: Foreign Journalist Flagged for Suspicious Substance Traces, Entry Briefly Halted
- 2026-11-04Israel's Herzog Backs Attorney General as Shin Bet Bid to Question Arab Lawmakers Over Election Interference Is Rejected
- 2026-11-05Follow-Up: Ultra-Orthodox Party Withholds Recommendation as Arab Party Backs Eisenkot, Weakening Netanyahu
- 2026-11-05Follow-Up: Joint List Backs Eisenkot, Taking His Endorsements to 67 Against Netanyahu's 46
- 2026-11-05Israel's President Herzog Puts Off Choice of Premier-Designate Until Sunday Despite Eisenkot's 67 Endorsements to Netanyahu's 46This story
