Bennett and Golan back Eisenkot for prime minister as Netanyahu struggles to form a government

Summary

Opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan have pledged to back Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister while the anti-Netanyahu bloc weighs which coalition to seek. Bennett announced in an X post on Sunday that his faction will recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog to form the next government. The Hindu reports that Bennett's B'Yachad faction has thrown its support behind Eisenkot, as Herzog urges political leaders to accept the election results and find creative solutions to prevent another election. RTÉ reports that party heads in the opposition camp, led by Eisenkot, have all endorsed him for prime minister and will meet the next day, while Netanyahu says voters back him and has called for a broad coalition government under his leadership. The Times of Israel reports that Avigdor Liberman, the last member of the bloc to weigh in, is said to criticize the head of the Yashar party over its push for a government with Arab parties, and that Netanyahu reportedly says there will be no unity talks if the Knesset speaker is replaced.

Timeline

1. Times of Israel

   2 Nov 2026, 04:18 UTCSource ↗

   The Times of Israel reports that Bennett and Golan have pledged to back Eisenkot as prime minister while the bloc mulls which coalition to seek, that Liberman is said to criticize the head of the Yashar party over its push for a government with Arab parties, and that Netanyahu reportedly says there will be no unity talks if the Knesset speaker is replaced.

2. Hindustan Times

   2 Nov 2026, 06:38 UTCSource ↗

   Hindustan Times reports that in an X post on Sunday, Bennett announced that his faction will recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog to form the next government.

3. The Hindu

   2 Nov 2026, 07:38 UTCSource ↗

   The Hindu reports that Bennett's B'Yachad faction has thrown its support behind Gadi Eisenkot to form the next Israeli government, as Herzog urges leaders to accept the election results and find creative solutions to prevent another election.

4. RTÉ

   2 Nov 2026, 20:32 UTCSource ↗

   RTÉ reports that party heads in the Israeli opposition camp, led by Gadi Eisenkot, will meet tomorrow after all endorsing him for prime minister, while Netanyahu says voters back him and calls for a broad coalition government under his leadership.