Ra’am says it will recommend Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister
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What happened
Ra’am announced that it will recommend Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister, giving him declared backing from parties totaling 56 Knesset seats compared with 53 for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Why it matters
The announcement changes the recommendation tally that the president uses in deciding who receives the first mandate to form a government. It opens a new round of bargaining over outside support, coalition terms, and whether any bloc can convert recommendation numbers into a functioning majority.
Ra’am said on November 4, 2026 that it will recommend Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister, shifting the recommendation count to 56 seats for Eisenkot versus 53 for Benjamin Netanyahu. That makes Eisenkot the more likely candidate to receive the president’s first mandate to try forming a government. The move turns coalition arithmetic into an immediate operational issue for the president, party leaders, and factions weighing whether to back a minority government, force another deadlock, or explore an unconventional arrangement.
Watch for
President Isaac Herzog's office announcement on consultations and which MK receives the first mandate by 2026-11-08 Blue and White or Eisenkot camp statement naming coalition red lines or minority-government terms by 2026-11-07 Ra’am confirmation after consultations that it maintains its recommendation for Eisenkot through 2026-11-08 Likud statement by Benjamin Netanyahu on whether it seeks defections or backs a unity formula by 2026-11-08
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