Netanyahu open to broad coalition but insists on leading it
11:26, 03/11/2026, Tuesday
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he is willing to discuss forming a broad coalition but insists on remaining premier, as opposition parties coalesce around former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to lead the next government amid post-election deadlock.
Netanyahu's coalition overture
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday indicated openness to forming a broad coalition government while insisting he retain the premiership, posting on social media that his Likud party "aspires to form a broad government with our partners and with any party that wishes to do so and does not support terrorism." Speaking on the US platform X, Netanyahu said he was willing to hold dialogue with potential partners but claimed Israeli voters did not want a government dependent on Arab parties.
"The public in Israel does not want a government that is dependent on Ra'am and the Joint List," he said, referring to the two Arab parliamentary lists. "From day one our hand has been extended to establish a broad national government," Netanyahu added, claiming a mandate from the Jewish public to remain prime minister following last week's parliamentary elections.
Opposition backs Eisenkot
Opposition parties have rallied behind Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar faction, to form the next government. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Together party, Yair Golan's Democrats and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu have decided to recommend Eisenkot to President Isaac Herzog, giving him the support of 48 lawmakers.
Coalition arithmetic
The two Arab parliamentary lists are also expected to back Eisenkot, potentially raising his support to 67 lawmakers in the 120-member Knesset. Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats in last week's elections, compared with 48 for opposition parties and 19 for Arab parties, leaving neither faction with an outright majority.
However, Lieberman has rejected joining any government that includes Arab parties or relies on their parliamentary support, complicating Eisenkot's path to forming a coalition despite the numerical advantage. President Herzog is scheduled to begin two days of consultations with parliamentary factions on Wednesday before selecting a lawmaker to receive the mandate to form the next government.