Israeli President Isaac Herzog is due to task a candidate with forming a government on Sunday after an inconclusive election left Benjamin Netanyahu and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot both short of a clear governing majority.

During consultations that ended Thursday, sixty seven of one hundred and twenty Knesset members endorsed Eisenkot, while forty six backed Netanyahu. Eisenkot’s numerical edge depends heavily on parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, which won a record nineteen seats in October. He has ruled out bringing those parties into a coalition, leaving a political puzzle for Herzog.

Netanyahu’s endorsement count fell seven short of his bloc’s fifty three seats after United Torah Judaism, a longtime partner, withheld support over the failure to secure a military service exemption for ultra Orthodox Israelis. That fracture weakens the outgoing prime minister’s claim to first chance even as his rivals struggle to convert endorsements into a workable cabinet.

Herzog has not publicly locked in either camp, stressing both the endorsement tallies and the need for a government that can actually be formed and sustained. If no candidate succeeds within the constitutional window, Israel could face fresh elections, a path that could leave Netanyahu in a caretaker role.

Arab led parties have framed their endorsements as a bid to end Netanyahu’s tenure rather than a demand for cabinet seats they know Eisenkot will refuse. That tactical support helps Eisenkot on paper while exposing the gap between parliamentary arithmetic and coalition chemistry.

The stalemate unfolds as United States midterm results feed Israeli debates about how closely to stay tied to Trump aligned politics. Whoever Herzog picks first will still need partners across secular, religious and security minded factions that disagree on Gaza policy, conscription and the judiciary.

Sunday’s announcement will start the formal clock. It will not by itself settle whether Israel gets a new government or another stretch of caretaker rule under a prime minister who no longer commands a stable majority.