Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot formally received the mandate to form the next government from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, warning that Israeli democracy faces one of its most vulnerable moments and pledging to restore public trust, national unity and responsible leadership.
Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, now has 28 days to assemble a government. He may request an additional 14 days from Herzog if necessary. Even if he secures a coalition agreement sooner, he does not intend to swear in a government this week.
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Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot formally receives the mandate to form the next government from President Isaac Herzog
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
"I stand here with a profound sense of duty and an understanding of the responsibility and weight resting on my shoulders," Eisenkot said at the ceremony at the President's Residence in Jerusalem.
"I carry with me, and keep before my eyes, all the citizens of Israel, including the fallen and the wounded, civilians and soldiers, those who paid the heaviest price out of love for their people and their country," he said.
"I will do everything in my power to be worthy of them and of the entire people of Israel. To be worthy is the supreme obligation placed upon me and upon all of us."
Eisenkot warned that the country's democratic institutions were under mounting pressure, citing declining public confidence and what he described as an ongoing campaign to undermine their legitimacy.
"We are at one of the most vulnerable moments Israeli democracy has ever known," he said. "The campaign to delegitimize democracy and the growing distrust of state institutions, fueled every day, have brought us to an extremely dangerous point. If we continue on our present course, we risk sliding into dark places, toward a point of no return from which it will be very difficult for us, as a society and a country, to recover."
He called for new leadership capable of representing Israelis across political and social divisions. "There is therefore an urgent need for new leadership, leadership that people can look in the eye and trust, whose considerations will always be the good of Israel and Israel's security," Eisenkot said.
Quoting the medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides, Eisenkot said the country's leadership should have a heart that embraces the entire people of Israel.
He said Israel needed leaders who could represent all segments of society and steer the country "back to safe harbor and sanity."
"That is what I seek to do," he said.
Herzog: Likud is largest party, but Eisenkot has more support
Herzog said his decision followed consultations with representatives of the parties elected to the new Knesset.
"I held frank and transparent discussions with representatives of the factions," Herzog said. "They brought forward the different voices in Israeli society, discussed the important issues of this moment and also reminded us that everyone has an equal voice."
Eisenkot and Herzog at the President's Residence in Jerusalem
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
Representatives of 67 incoming lawmakers recommended Eisenkot for the premiership, compared with 46 who endorsed incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"As I noted at the conclusion of the consultations, representatives of 67 members of Knesset recommended the chairman of Yashar as the person who should receive the mandate," Herzog said.
"Therefore, by virtue of my authority under Basic Law: The Government, I have decided to entrust the task of forming the government to Yashar chairman, retired Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot."
Herzog acknowledged that Netanyahu's Likud remains the largest individual party in the incoming parliament, but said that did not require him to give its leader the first opportunity to form a government.
"The fact that the Likud faction is the largest faction in the incoming Knesset has not escaped my attention," Herzog said.
He noted that previous presidents had, on several occasions, assigned the mandate to a leader whose party did not hold the largest number of seats.
Herzog met separately with Eisenkot and Netanyahu over the weekend before informing them of his decision.
Following the announcement Saturday, Eisenkot wrote that Israel needed a national emergency government. "This is the time to establish a national emergency government. I will do everything so that we may be worthy," he said.
Herzog warns of Iranian threat, calls for stable government
In his remarks, Herzog emphasized the scale of the security and diplomatic challenges confronting Israel. "The challenges facing the State of Israel are enormous. Some require urgent and immediate attention," he said. "Iran is not waiting even a moment in its plots and threats."
Herzog said the next government would need to address Israel's regional diplomatic future and the aftermath of the war, including advancing U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza plan through the Board of Peace and pursuing negotiations with Lebanon and other neighboring countries.
He stressed that Israel needed a government capable of addressing those challenges over the long term. "The State of Israel needs a stable government that can confront them over time," Herzog said. "This is the time to extend a hand, to do everything for the unity of the people, and to strive for the best and most stable government possible for the people of Israel, who yearn for it."
Addressing Eisenkot directly, Herzog urged him to establish a government that would serve all Israelis, regardless of their political affiliations.
"I expect you to do everything in your power to establish a government that will serve the entire people, those who supported it and those who did not, and that will be a responsible and decent address for all sectors, religions, ways of life and worldviews," he said.
Netanyahu revives unity government proposal
As Eisenkot prepared to receive the mandate, Netanyahu renewed his call for a national unity government, an option he had previously sought to play down in private discussions following the election because of the political concessions it would require from the parties involved.
With few other options available, Netanyahu revived the proposal over the weekend while continuing efforts to prevent the formation of a rival government. "This is a time for unity," Netanyahu said in a combative recorded address Saturday night. "There is only one choice, not national suicide, but national unity."
He called for a broad coalition bringing together right-wing and Zionist parties. "I call for the establishment of a national unity government that will include all the parties of the national camp and all the Zionist parties that want to protect our country," Netanyahu said.
His proposal would, at least initially, preserve the core of his existing coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party.
Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed Netanyahu's call Sunday during a state memorial ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem honoring soldiers killed in the 1956 Sinai Campaign.
Katz warned that Israel's confrontation with Iran was far from over. "The mission against Iran has not been completed," Katz said. "Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, alongside other serious efforts that place the State of Israel in real danger. We cannot accept these threats."
He called for political unity in preparation for future security challenges. "Given the major missions still ahead of us, we must be united. This is a time for unity, responsibility and mutual solidarity," Katz said. "To meet these great challenges, we will need the full strength of the IDF and the full resilience of the people."
Eisenkot's party demands Netanyahu abandon far-right allies
Eisenkot's Yashar party quickly rejected Netanyahu's unity proposal in its current form, saying any cooperation would require the prime minister to sever ties with extremist elements of his political bloc.
The party described Netanyahu's recorded remarks as a "hysterical speech" and accused him of using the language of unity for political purposes.
"If Likud and its allies are suddenly interested in 'unity' and a broad government, they are more than welcome to publicly announce the dissolution of their alliance with the extremists, their acceptance of Gadi Eisenkot's four principles and their willingness to join a government under Prime Minister Eisenkot," Yashar said. "Until then, this is nothing more than a pathetic political spin."
The party also accused Netanyahu of repeatedly undermining previous national unity and emergency governments from within. "Netanyahu established unity and emergency governments and always worked against them from the inside," the statement said. "He has never honored an agreement he signed with political partners and formed the Oct. 7 government with Itamar Ben-Gvir as a senior minister, contrary to his own promise."
Yashar further accused Netanyahu of failing to dismantle Hamas rule and deepening divisions within Israeli society.
"As the prime minister responsible for the failure who did not succeed in dismantling Hamas rule and excelled only at dismantling Israeli society, he continues tonight to sow destruction while cynically invoking a value he has always worked against: unity," the party said.
Liberman rules out government dependent on Arab parties
Eisenkot is expected to meet Sunday evening with Beyachad party chairman and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, followed by talks Monday with Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman.
The meetings come as disagreements over the composition of a potential anti-Netanyahu government threaten to complicate Eisenkot's efforts to assemble a parliamentary majority.
Earlier Sunday, Liberman issued a public message apparently directed at Eisenkot, insisting that he would not support a minority government dependent on Arab parties.
"I am not driven by personal ambition to become prime minister at any cost," Liberman wrote in a social media post. "I have always emphasized that, as far as I am concerned, it is an option, not an obsession."
He said he had received numerous offers from the opposing political camp since 2019 but had remained guided by what he considered Israel's national interests.
"Since 2019 and to this day, I have received countless tempting offers from the other side," he wrote. "I am not engaged in political maneuvers and am not trying to sabotage anyone. I act, and will continue to act, out of one commitment alone: the good of the State of Israel and the people of Israel. That is what has guided me throughout, and that alone will guide every decision I make."
Liberman also addressed criticism of his expressed willingness to compromise with ultra-Orthodox parties over legislation governing military conscription exemptions.
The issue has long been central to his political platform, with Liberman repeatedly demanding that ultra-Orthodox men be subject to military service requirements.
He accused critics of his efforts to reach an understanding with ultra-Orthodox parties of favoring an alternative coalition reliant on the Islamist Ra'am party and the predominantly Arab Joint List.
"Those attacking me over attempts to reach understandings with the ultra-Orthodox parties are among the same people who prefer to establish a government dependent on Ra'am and the Joint List," Liberman wrote.
He accused some lawmakers from those parties of publicly identifying with Hamas, describing it as a charitable organization and accusing Israel of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Liberman made clear that he would not support such a coalition. "I want to make it unequivocally clear: That will not happen," he wrote. "I will not lend a hand to the establishment of such a government, which in my view would harm security and return Netanyahu to power."