Live Updates: Eisenkot warns Israel 'approaching point of no return' while receiving mandate to form government
Mossad hands Shin Bet findings on suspected foreign election interference • Tibi declines to rule out joining Eisenkot • Eisenkot, Liberman expected to meet on Monday as part of coalition talks
Follow us on GoogleGadi Eisenkot (L) recieves the mandate to form the 26th Knesset in Jerusalem on November 8, 2026.(photo credit: CHAIM ZACH / GPO)
Eisenkot, Netanyahu have 'very similar views,' Trump says, suggests both would support him
"I guess he said very nice things about me. He says he loves Trump, but I don’t know. I haven’t seen what’s happening,” the president added, referring to Eisenkot.
ByIDAN KWELLERUS President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, at President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, November 8, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/Eric Lee)Go to the full article > >
Shas weighs support for Eisenkot government as haredi parties seek solution to draft crisis
UTJ could pave the way for Shas to join an Eisenkot coalition, acting as its "Shabbos goy" while the Sephardi haredi party seeks to avoid alienating pro-Netanyahu voters.
By103FMA Shas party campaign poster. October 25, 2026(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)Go to the full article > >
Mossad hands Shin Bet findings on suspected foreign election interference
Israel’s politicians must put national unity before personal ambition - opinion
ByMARC TOBINIllustrative image of Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot(photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90, NOAM MOSKOVITZ/KNESSET, YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >
Netanyahu is not Thatcher, but both faced the same problem: When to leave - opinion
Liberman defends haredi compromise amid coalition talks, vows not to abandon IDF draft principles
"Being willing to compromise does not mean giving up values and principles," Liberman said, responding to criticism of his previous statements that he would be flexible about a haredi draft law.
BySHIR PERETSYisrael Beytenu leader and MK Avigdor Liberman holds a press conference in Tel Aviv, May 6, 2026(photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)Go to the full article > >Israel votes 2026: All you need to know
The final voter turnout was 77.7% when polls closed at 10:00 p.m., according to the Central Elections Committee (CEC), up 7.1% from the 2022 election.
Likud remains the largest party: Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar with 21 and Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad with 12.
Netanyahu's bloc leads, but falls short of a majority: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats.
Arab parties hold 19 seats: The Joint List and Ra'am secured a combined 19 seats, giving them a potentially decisive role in efforts to form the next government.
What happens next? President Isaac Herzog has awarded the mandate to Eisenkot, presenting him with the task of forming the next government. Eisenkot will initially have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a coalition.
Could Israel face another election? If no candidate succeeds in forming a government through the prescribed process, the political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election.