Gadi Eisenkot is exploring the possibility of establishing a minority government after Israel’s October 27 election, even if parties seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fall short of 61 Knesset seats. But prominent opposition partners have rejected the idea, underscoring the difference between winning more seats than a rival bloc and securing enough parliamentary support to govern.
The proposal was described in a Jerusalem Post report published on October 24. Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, has discussed forming a government with the support of 58 or 59 lawmakers and seeking additional parliamentary partners after it takes office. This is a conditional political scenario, not an agreed coalition arrangement.
Why Eisenkot is discussing 58 or 59 seats
Israel’s Knesset has 120 members, so 61 seats constitute an absolute majority. But the vote to approve a new government is governed by a different threshold: a government can be sworn in if more lawmakers vote in favor than against in the confidence vote. Depending on attendance and abstentions, the number voting in favor may be fewer than 61.
That technical distinction creates a possible route for a minority administration. It would not, however, guarantee stable support for budgets, legislation or future parliamentary votes. A constructive vote of no confidence to replace an existing government has a different requirement: backing from 61 lawmakers for an alternative government. Nor does a minority-government plan by itself establish who would be willing to support or abstain in the initial confidence vote.
Liberman says no; Bennett and Lapid also object
Avigdor Liberman, leader of Yisrael Beytenu, opposes forming a minority government even temporarily. His stated position is that the next coalition must rest on a majority of parties he defines as Zionist. He has suggested a different route involving lawmakers from Likud without Netanyahu, but no such agreement has been announced. Ynet reported his rejection ahead of the vote.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, campaigning together under the B’Yachad list, also oppose relying on the votes or abstentions of Arab parties to establish a government, according to the Jerusalem Post. Eisenkot has not ruled out external parliamentary support from Ra’am, while Democrats leader Yair Golan has left open cooperation with the party.
These differences are not simply about which politician would serve as prime minister. They concern the composition of a future coalition, whether support from outside it is acceptable and how long a government with fewer than 61 committed members could function.
What the final election polls actually show
The final major television polls published on Friday, October 23, give the bloc opposed to Netanyahu between 52 and 56 seats, with Netanyahu-aligned parties on 50 seats in each of the three surveys. The Arab parties are counted separately; the Kan 11 survey also assigns four seats to an unaligned list. These are individual pollster estimates of parliamentary seats, not election results or a Votendi polling average.
- Kan 11: opposition bloc 52, Netanyahu bloc 50, Arab parties 14, other/unaligned 4.
- Channel 12: opposition bloc 56, Netanyahu bloc 50, Arab parties 14.
- Channel 13: opposition bloc 54, Netanyahu bloc 50, Arab parties 16.
The distributions were reported by The Times of Israel. Other surveys use different methods and produce different bloc estimates, as Votendi has documented in its comparison of Israel’s final polls.
The 58–59-seat scenario raised by Eisenkot therefore should not be confused with a confirmed number of seats held by his allies. It describes a potential post-election negotiation position if the next Knesset’s composition allows it. Voting takes place on Tuesday, October 27, and the 3.25% electoral threshold adds uncertainty to how votes translate into seats. Votendi’s Israel 2026 election hub tracks individual seat polls and party-list information.
A possible parliamentary move even before a government deal
One area of tentative agreement is the prospect of replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Opposition parties are discussing whether they could assemble a majority for a new speaker before settling the composition of a government. Such a move would affect control of parliamentary proceedings, but it would not itself establish a new executive or settle the coalition disagreement. No joint candidate has been confirmed.
The immediate question is not whether an opposition party can finish first in the election. It is whether parties with different positions on Arab-party support, Likud participation and coalition leadership can agree on a confidence vote and a workable governing arrangement. Those questions will remain unresolved until the ballots are counted and coalition negotiations begin.
Sources: Jerusalem Post (October 24); Ynet; The Times of Israel (final television polls, October 23). The featured visual is an AI-generated editorial illustration, not a photograph of a meeting.
