Israeli President Isaac Herzog has formally tasked Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party and a former IDF chief of staff, with forming Israel's next government after the October 27 election. During Herzog's consultations with the parties, factions representing 67 members of the Knesset recommended Eisenkot, while factions representing 46 recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One faction with seven members declined to recommend anyone. Under Israeli law, Eisenkot now has 28 days to build a coalition of at least 61 members, with a possible 14-day extension, and if he fails, the president can assign the task to another lawmaker, most likely Netanyahu.

The mandate does not guarantee Eisenkot a government. Herzog himself said the tally of recommendations does not settle who can form a coalition, citing "mutual vetoes" between and within the political blocs. Eisenkot has called for a national emergency government focused on security and unity, and his party has said it will first work on that before any unity deal with Netanyahu. Other possible outcomes include a unity government with members of Netanyahu's camp or a minority government. The next four weeks of coalition talks will show whether Eisenkot can turn a strong show of support into a working majority.