Who Is Gadi Eisenkot, Israel’s Opposition Leader?

Middle East

Israel’s Election

Who Is Gadi Eisenkot, the Israeli Tasked With Forming a Government?

Mr. Eisenkot, a career general and the leading rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, will now have up to six weeks to form a coalition.

*Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party, spoke after meeting with President Isaac Herzog of Israel at his office in Jerusalem on Sunday.Credit...Ilia Yefimovich/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images*

By Aaron BoxermanJohnatan Reiss and David M. Halbfinger

Reporting from Jerusalem

Nov. 8, 2026Updated 11:39 a.m. ET

The clock started ticking on Sunday for Gadi Eisenkot, the leading rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, to form a new government.

After days of consultations, Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog , presided over a ceremony that officially gave Mr. Eisenkot the mandate to forge a coalition after an inconclusive national election last month. “This is the time to reach out a hand, to do everything for the unity of our people,” Mr. Herzog said.

Mr. Eisenkot vowed to form a government “for all Israelis” and, in a nod to Israel’s fractured electoral landscape, said that it would take “creative and unconventional political steps.”

A soft-spoken former general, Mr. Eisenkot leads Yashar, a center-right party that campaigned on a promise of keeping Israel secure while pivoting away from policies that prompted international anger and led to Israel’s isolation on the world stage.

Mr. Eisenkot, 66, has up to six weeks to build a coalition before the president passes the opportunity to another candidate, most likely Mr. Netanyahu. Here’s what to know about the career general-turned-politician.

What is his background?

Mr. Eisenkot, a married father of five, was born in Tiberias, in the north, to Moroccan immigrants and was raised in Eilat, a working-class city in southern Israel.

No Bloc Won Outright

61 seats required for an outright majority

Netanyahu’s current bloc 53 seats

Likud

JP

UTJ

Shas

RZ

Jewish opposition bloc 48 seats

Yashar

Together

Dem.

YB

Arab parties 19 seats

Joint List

Raam

Party ideology Right Far right Ultra-Orthodox Center-right Independent right Left Arab

* Netanyahu’s current bloc: Likud, Jewish Power, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Religious Zionism.
53 seats.
* Jewish opposition bloc: Yashar, Together, Democrats, Yisrael Beiteinu.
48 seats.
* Arab parties: Joint List, Raam.
19 seats.

Note: Parties must win at least 3.25 percent of the national vote to enter the 120-seat Knesset.

Source: Israel’s Central Elections Committee via Kan.