He had delayed a public statement, with behind-the-scenes coordination among the other leaders of his coalition.
The preliminary voting results showed his political bloc leading by 53-50 or 52-50 over Netanyahu’s bloc, according to Channels 11, 12, and 13, though Netanyahu narrowly edged Eisenkot in the head-to-head matchup by margins of 24-22, 25-23, and 25-21.
Eisenkot’s headquarters erupted in cheers upon learning the balance of the blocs, though there was brief tension when they discovered that Netanyahu’s bloc held the largest party.
Under Israel’s political structure, the largest bloc typically secures the initial right to form a government and may also gain control of the Knesset pending the formation process.
However, Eisenkot’s hesitation in making a public appearance underscored the complexities ahead, particularly the challenge of convincing coalition partner Avigdor Liberman to provide government or minority support from Israeli-Arab parties—a stance Liberman had previously maintained during the campaign.
Some commentators suggested Liberman might reconsider given the high voter turnout, but Yisrael Betenu leader Bezalel Smotrich remains steadfast in upholding his principles.
Eisenkot Faces Government Formation Challenges Amid Rising Arab Party Influence
Tuesday’s opening bid was for an even larger victory, yet even that did not guarantee an easy path to forming the next government given the substantial size of the Israeli-Arab parties, which operate without strict bloc affiliation.
Eisenkot launched his campaign early Tuesday morning at Ofakim and Nir Oz in the Gaza Strip corridor, emphasizing the failures of the previous administration in averting Hamas’s October 7 incursion.
He continued his campaign journey northward to Ashdod, making additional stops before arriving in Herzliya for voting at 1:45 p.m., and ultimately heading to his election-night headquarters at the National Sports Complex in Tel Aviv.
As of late morning, Yashar had lodged complaints with the Israeli Election Commission alleging systematic vandalism and ballot destruction bearing the party’s name at multiple voting locations.
His base predominantly includes voters who attribute blame for the October 7 attacks to Netanyahu or his coalition, as well as those who criticize his bloc for failing to integrate the Haredi sector into the IDF despite over 1,000 Israeli soldiers falling in recent years.