Eisenkot says voters expressed no confidence in Netanyahu government, vows to bring change

By Ariela Karmel

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

Today, 10:51 pm

Edit

Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot givs a thumbs up to supporters after the release of the first exit poll results following the general election, in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, the leading opposition candidate, says the election results represent a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, vowing to press ahead with efforts to replace it despite his bloc falling far short of a parliamentary majority.

“This is the will of the people, who expressed no confidence in the government of October 7 and draft evasion, and in the draft-dodgers’ bloc as a whole,” Eisenkot writes on X, referring to Netanyahu and his allies.

Netanyahu’s bloc is also considerably short of a majority. Pro-Netanyahu parties hold 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats while his opponents hold 67. But that group is split between Jewish-led parties with 48, and Arab-led parties with 19. Most of the Jewish-led parties have expressed an unwillingness to partner with the Arab-led factions.

“We have more long days of work ahead of us, but we are focused on the weighty task entrusted to us, bringing change to Israel and establishing a Zionist government committed to military conscription,” Eisenkot adds, following what he describes as a long day of meetings.

He pledges to “rise to the great challenge ahead of us.”