Eisenkot Gets Mandate, Agrees With Liberman on Next Knesset Speaker

Update, Nov. 9 (late evening)

Liberman to Eisenkot. Ynet reports that during their meeting Avigdor Liberman told Gadi Eisenkot: "Give up their support, and I'll make sure to bring in the Haredi parties," referring to dropping reliance on Arab-party backing in favor of ultra-Orthodox support.

Report: Netanyahu and new elections. N12 / Mako (Eli Hirschman) reports that Netanyahu expects the Haredi parties to vote against an Eisenkot-led government rather than abstain, and that he is aiming for new elections, saying he is convinced he would win and then deliver for the Haredim. Labeled as an N12 report.

Update, Nov. 9 (evening)

Haredi talks. Kan, as reported by the Times of Israel, says Gadi Eisenkot and Avigdor Liberman agreed to open talks with Shas and United Torah Judaism, with a softened draft law on offer for support of an Eisenkot-led government. Channel 12 says discussions are still at an early stage. Per that reporting, Haredi parties are expected to seek a one-year to 18-month transitional arrangement with no meaningful enlistment, sanctions, or arrests of draft dodgers in that period, plus legal guarantees that the arrangement would withstand court review.

Speakership. Ynet reports UTJ proposed interim speakership for chairman Yaakov Asher to help guarantee a draft-law vote; Liberman and Eisenkot later agreed the speakership goes to a Yashar member instead. UTJ refused to sign a letter seeking to replace Speaker Amir Ohana before Tuesday's swearing-in, saying the speaker should change alongside forming a new government. Shas, for now, remains aligned with Netanyahu.

Avoiding Arab-party dependence. The Washington Post reports Eisenkot is pursuing ultra-Orthodox options in part to avoid a partnership dependent on Arab parties.

West Bank — Beita industrial zone. The Times of Israel and Haaretz, citing Palestinian media, report settlers set fire to excavators, vehicles, and equipment in an industrial area near Beita, south of Nablus. No injuries were immediately reported.

Update, Nov. 9 (afternoon)

Eshel and Abbas. The Jerusalem Post, citing N12, reports that Netanyahu confidant Natan Eshel repeatedly contacted Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas before, during, and after the election about whether Abbas would back Gadi Eisenkot. Likud told N12 that Netanyahu was surprised and that the contacts were not done with his knowledge. Eshel gave N12 shifting accounts of the exchanges.

Shin Bet meddling claims. Al Jazeera, citing Haaretz, reports that senior law-enforcement officials say the Shin Bet investigation has found no evidence of foreign election meddling, despite claims by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Shin Bet chief David Zini. The probe continues. Qatar has denied the allegations. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said she had seen no evidence that would have changed the election results.

Swearing-in. The 26th Knesset is due to be sworn in on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Coverage notes 47 first-time MKs among the 120 members (Jerusalem Post, Ynet).

Update, Nov. 9 — Netanyahu unity offer

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video Monday calling a national unity government "simply an absolute necessity" and saying "Enough with the boycotts" (Ynet, Jerusalem Post). He said Likud should lead because it is the largest party, that the government must include the Haredi parties, and that he rejects a government that depends on Arab parties — characterizing them as "Hamas supporters" (his words; AFNS attributes that label to him, not as fact). No rotation was mentioned.

Eisenkot is starting coalition talks. As of Monday he has 27 days left on the mandate clock that started Nov. 8 (Ynet).

Jerusalem Post reports that Avigdor Liberman and Gadi Eisenkot agreed Monday on the next Knesset speaker. The name has not been reported. After their meeting, both said they are confident they can form a government for a full term (Jerusalem Post live updates).

Separately, Eisenkot's Yashar party is courting Shas and United Torah Judaism to join an opposition-bloc push to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana when the 26th Knesset is sworn in. UTJ chairman Yaakov Asher said the party will not support replacing the speaker before a new government is formed. Shas is waiting on UTJ before moving toward Eisenkot, per Jerusalem Post reporting (Jerusalem Post; live updates).

Mandate (Sunday, Nov. 8)

President Isaac Herzog gave Eisenkot the mandate to form the next government on Sunday, Nov. 8 (NPR, Times of Israel). The recommendation tally was 67 for Eisenkot and 46 for Netanyahu. Eisenkot has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension. The clock started Nov. 8.

Reminder: Recommendations are not a governing coalition. As of Friday, only about 48 MKs in Eisenkot's own camp were reported ready to govern together; the 19 Arab-party recommendations were not a coalition commitment (Times of Israel, via prior AFNS coverage). No mainstream update Monday overturned that 48-MK nuance.

Background: Eisenkot Proposes Minority Emergency Government as Herzog Still Set to Name Mandate Sunday.

Handala leaflets (labeled)

Police and Shin Bet are investigating leaflets found Monday in northern Tel Aviv mailboxes with QR codes linking to a page tied to the Iran-linked Handala hacker group, which claimed responsibility and threatened Israeli energy and water infrastructure. Reporting: Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Ynet, Haaretz.