Gadi Eisenkot holds a commanding position in this market because recent consultations with President Isaac Herzog produced endorsements from 67 Knesset members for him to receive the first mandate, compared with 46 for Benjamin Netanyahu. This tally reflects backing from Eisenkot’s four-party opposition bloc plus recommendations from Arab-led lists, even though those parties are not expected to join a coalition. Israel’s proportional representation system requires assembling a government that can win a Knesset confidence vote, and the president is set to assign the initial 28-day mandate shortly. While Eisenkot’s bloc fell short of an outright majority in the October election, the recommendation gap has shaped trader consensus around his near-term procedural advantage. Late shifts in party positions or Herzog’s final determination could still alter the outcome before the mandate is formally issued.