Eisenkot Targets 58 Seats to Form Israeli Cabinet

Fifty-eight seats is the number Gadi Eisenkot wants to reach in the next Knesset.

The leader of the change-seeking bloc proposes forming a minority government if his parties win 58 or 59 of the 120 legislative seats. Under this plan, the new cabinet would be sworn in after passing a confidence vote without securing a permanent majority of 61 members of Knesset. The government would then work to widen its support base in parliament.

Most polls show the anti-Netanyahu camp ahead of the outgoing coalition. However, the Zionist parties in that bloc currently fall short of the 61 seats needed to govern under standard agreements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies also lack a clear majority in many surveys, though some data gives the right-wing bloc enough seats. The electoral threshold could shift seat distribution, and a small number of votes might determine whether Israel forms a new government or faces further political turmoil.

Eisenkot aims to lead the bloc and serve as the main candidate to form the government. He rejects serving under Netanyahu, even in a rotation arrangement. He has not ruled out receiving outside support from the Ra'am party, but no agreed formula exists for that cooperation yet.

Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman oppose the minority model. Bennett, who heads the Beyachad list with Yair Lapid, insists on a Zionist government and refuses to rely on votes or abstentions from Arab parties. Liberman categorically rejects a minority government, even a transitional one. He demands a Zionist majority from the start and says another election would be better than a government that fails his conditions. Liberman has suggested bringing Likud MKs into a government without Netanyahu, claiming some would be willing, but he has not named specific legislators or confirmed public talks.

A meeting between Eisenkot and Liberman this week ended with a joint call to raise voter turnout. The two leaders did not settle their disagreement on the path to power. Leadership rivalry continues, with Eisenkot hoping to head the largest party and Bennett viewing himself as a natural candidate due to his experience as prime minister.

The opposition bloc is also nearing agreement on replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. This step could occur before any coalition deal is struck. The aim is to give Netanyahu's opponents control of the parliamentary agenda even if he remains head of a caretaker government. The speaker is elected early in a new Knesset term in a public vote. The bloc could draw on Arab party MKs to assemble a majority behind an agreed candidate. Names raised include Chili Tropper, Matan Kahana, and Elazar Stern from Eisenkot's list, Meirav Ben-Ari and Eitan Ginzburg from the Bennett-Lapid list, Efrat Rayten of the Democrats, and attorney Oded Forer of Yisrael Beytenu. No consensus candidate has been announced.

Liberman estimated this week that as many as one-third of outgoing coalition MKs might vote against Ohana. The bloc also wants to advance a state commission of inquiry into October 7, changes to conscription law, limits on the prime minister's tenure, and repeal of some judicial changes. Liberman additionally seeks a bar on people facing criminal charges serving as prime minister. No binding agreement exists on the details or the order of these measures, though party teams have begun coordinating.