Huckabee: Government hopeful will have 42 days to secure 61 votes

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the person tasked by President Herzog with forming a government will have 42 days to secure 61 votes in the Knesset, while Netanyahu will remain head of a caretaker government until a new government is formed.

Hilal Times Editorial DeskNovember 01, 2026, 04:46 PMUpdated: November 01, 2026, 05:06 PM

Huckabee: Government hopeful will have 42 days to secure 61 votes

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Israeli President Isaac Herzog would give either Gadi Eisenkot or Benjamin Netanyahu the first opportunity to form a government, adding: “They will have 42 days to reach 61 votes.” Huckabee made the remarks in an interview with the U.S. channel Newsmax’s “America Right Now,” broadcast on Saturday, October 31, and conducted by host Tom Basile.

Huckabee described Netanyahu’s bloc leading Eisenkot’s bloc by 53 seats to 48 as “the biggest surprise,” contrary to the expectations of many. He said election night in Israel “is the beginning, not the end,” explaining that the question now is who can gather 61 seats in the Knesset, “because that person will be the leader and prime minister.”

In a previous interview with the same channel on October 28, Huckabee said Netanyahu would “continue serving as prime minister” if parties joined him in numbers sufficient to reach a majority. He explained that Netanyahu would remain in office as head of a caretaker government until a new government was formed, even without a parliamentary majority.

The 42-day period under the law

The figure cited by Huckabee is based on the Basic Law: The Government, which gives the person tasked with forming a government 28 days to establish a coalition and allows the president to extend that period by an additional 14 days. If the candidate fails, the mandate can be transferred to another lawmaker for 28 days without an extension. At that point, at least 61 lawmakers may propose a candidate within 21 days; otherwise, the Knesset is dissolved and new elections are held within 90 days.

Herzog is scheduled to receive the official results from Noam Solberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, and begin consultations with the victorious blocs on Wednesday, November 4, in sessions broadcast live. Herzog had called on the parties to do everything possible to avoid another round of elections.

The 67-seat majority and Arab parties

According to the final results, Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot won 48, and the Arab parties won 19 seats, their highest total in history. Eisenkot is signaling a 67-seat majority in the Knesset to confront what he calls the “October 7 government,” a majority that can be formed only with Arab lawmakers.

In the same interview, Huckabee criticized some Arab lawmakers for not condemning the October 7 attack, saying that including them in the government would be “concerning” if they maintained that position. He also predicted that campaign pledges not to sit with one leader or another would fade, saying: “Throw all of that out the window.”

“There may be no transfer of power at all”

In other filmed remarks, Huckabee stressed that Netanyahu would remain prime minister until a new government was formed, adding that this “certainly will not happen before at least 42 days, and it could take much longer,” and that “there may be no transfer of power at all.”

“The left evaporated after October 7”

The U.S. ambassador said that “on national security issues, there is not much difference between the parties, perhaps except for the Arab parties,” adding: “There is no meaningful left left in Israel after October 7; it evaporated.”

Huckabee defends Netanyahu

Huckabee rejected linking the global wave of antisemitism to Netanyahu, saying: “Hatred of Jews is a worldwide epidemic; it is a disease, an evil and an irrational thing.” He asked: “People say: If Netanyahu did not exist, people would not hate Jews. Really? What is the evidence for that? What is the evidence that he is solely responsible for hatred of Jews around the world?”