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Eisenkot’s Yashar Party Eyes Minority Government Without Netanyahu

By Drooid · Oct 16, 2026, 6:18 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Yoav Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, positions it to lead a minority government.
The Yashar party could secure a parliamentary majority without Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister.
Israel will hold a general election on October 27, 2026 to elect the Knesset.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned a pre-election strike on Iran could cause civilian casualties.
A Maariv poll gave Eisenkot 48% support versus Netanyahu’s 41%.

History

Historical Context

On 17 May 1977 Israel held its ninth legislative election, where Likud under Menachem Begin captured a plurality and ended the Alignment’s three-decade dominance—a shift dubbed the “Mahapach.” Voter turnout reached 79%, and Begin’s coalition secured 31 Knesset seats. The upset followed years of post-Yom Kippur war discontent and set a two-decade pattern of near-equal left-right blocs.

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Story summary

Yoav Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, positions it to lead a minority government.
The Yashar party could secure a parliamentary majority without Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister.
Israel will hold a general election on October 27, 2026 to elect the Knesset.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned a pre-election strike on Iran could cause civilian casualties.
A Maariv poll gave Eisenkot 48% support versus Netanyahu’s 41%.

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