Eisenkot moves against Netanyahu in parliament as coalition talks hit trouble

Gadi Eisenkot has the mandate to try to form Israel's next government, but not yet the coalition to replace Benjamin Netanyahu. President Isaac Herzog announced the opportunity on Sunday, November 8, according to Scroll.in.

The election left Netanyahu without his parliamentary majority, but did not give his main rivals a clear route to government either, Dawn reported. That distinction explains the struggle now unfolding: Netanyahu's opponents can challenge him in parliament without necessarily agreeing on a government together.

By November 9, the difficulty of assembling a coalition was already clear. Foreign Policy described four possible paths to power for Eisenkot, none straightforward. ARD Tagesschau subsequently reported that he also considered a minority government possible.

On November 10, Netanyahu pressed for a broad unity government under his own leadership, bringing together opposition and ultra-Orthodox parties, according to Business Line. His proposal kept him in contention even though Eisenkot held the mandate to form the next government.

The new parliament held its first session that day without a government in place. Herzog called for compromise amid the unresolved contest between the two camps, Franceinfo reported. Eisenkot promised to form a national emergency government as quickly as possible, according to La Nacion.

The opening also exposed a distinction between parliamentary power and coalition power. NYT World News reported that the opposition led by Eisenkot had a majority in the new Knesset and was expected to start using its powers. That did not mean its parties had settled on a governing coalition.

Talks with Netanyahu's party then suffered a setback. Eisenkot's Yashar party canceled a meeting with Likud on November 10, citing Netanyahu's speech during the parliamentary opening, Agencia EFE reported. Adnkronos said the meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday.

Netanyahu remains prime minister. Eisenkot has yet to assemble the coalition needed to replace him, despite a new Knesset dominated by Netanyahu's critics, Deutsche Welle reported on November 11.

The opposition is nevertheless moving to take control of parliamentary business. It agreed to nominate Matan Kahana, a former minister and Yashar leader, as the next Knesset speaker, according to Infobae. The position is currently held by Amir Ohana of Netanyahu's Likud party, Le Monde reported.

Eisenkot is also pursuing an official inquiry into the October 7 attacks, according to Deutsche Welle. His broad bloc, spanning left to right, has begun setting the parliamentary agenda even while the question of who can form a government remains unresolved, Japan Times reported.

The speaker contest is an immediate test of whether Netanyahu's opponents can turn their parliamentary strength into control of a key institution. Kahana's nomination is an agreement within the opposition, not a completed change in the speakership, according to Infobae.

The larger test is whether Eisenkot can convert that cooperation into a governing arrangement. A minority government remains among the possibilities reported by ARD Tagesschau, while the cancellation of the Likud meeting leaves that channel of talks interrupted.