Democrats to recommend Eisenkot for prime minister ahead of meeting with Herzog

Jerusalem Post/Israel Election 2026Party chairman Yair Golan has called for the opposition bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu to form a coalition with the Arab parties.Follow us on GoogleYashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot alongside members of his party at the party’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv, following the closing of polling stations and the release of exit poll results on Israel’s general election night, October 28, 2026.(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)NOVEMBER 2, 2026 15:47Updated: NOVEMBER 2, 2026 15:57The Democrats party announced on Monday that it would recommend Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog as its candidate to form the next government, ahead of the president’s consultations with party representatives beginning Wednesday.The announcement came after the two other party leaders in the bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett (B'Yachad) and Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), said they would recommend Eisenkot.Until now, Eisenkot had called for the leader of the largest party in the opposition bloc to become its candidate for prime minister.However, no agreement on the arrangement was announced within the opposition bloc by Bennett, Lieberman, or Democrats leader Yair Golan ahead of the elections.Talks at the President's Residence will begin Wednesday, when Eisenkot may be the first candidate to receive the mandate from the president, giving him 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a coalition.The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan and members of his party celebrate at the party’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv, following the release of exit poll results on Israel’s general election night, October 27, 2026. (credit: YEHOSHUA YOSEF/FLASH90)Golan calls for opposition bloc to form coalition with Arab partiesGolan has called for the opposition bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu to form a coalition with the Arab parties.The other heads of the opposition parties had previously drawn a red line to Arab parties being part of the government, saying they are not viable coalition partners after the October 7 massacre in 2023.The opposition bloc lacks the required 61-seat Knesset majority without the support of the Arab parties. The election results showed that Netanyahu’s bloc maintained its lead, securing 53 seats in the next Knesset, while the opposition bloc won 48.Follow us on Google