Overview
- President Isaac Herzog on Sunday formally gave Gadi Eisenkot the 28‑day mandate to try to form a government after parliamentary recommendations placed 67 lawmakers behind his bloc while Benjamin Netanyahu retains 46 supporters.
- Tensions flared after Netanyahu’s confrontational Knesset speech on Tuesday prompted Eisenkot’s Yashar party to cancel a planned negotiating meeting with Likud and increased distrust between the camps.
- Eisenkot publicly demanded that Netanyahu show restraint on security operations during the transition and sought regular classified briefings, arguing that non‑urgent military action could damage democracy and public trust.
- Israeli media reported the security cabinet ordered the military to prepare for a possible operation against Iran, a move that hardened the dispute and prompted both sides to press for oversight and legal clarity.
- Coalition math remains the core obstacle: Eisenkot can try a minority government with outside Arab support, Avigdor Liberman pushes for a 61‑seat deal including ultra‑Orthodox parties, and unresolved red lines on national identity and conscription make any outcome fragile.