🇮🇱🌪️ Why Eisenkot faces uphill battle to oust Netanyahu Gadi Eisenkot has been given the mandate to form Israel's next government, but he faces potential partners divided over the role of Arab parties, ultra-Orthodox conscription and the very composition of the next government, reports The Jerusalem Post. One possible route for Eisenkot is a minority government. ♦️ Eisenkot’s Zionist opposition bloc ♦️ Yashar, Together, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Democrats - holds 48 seats, but could rely on the 19 Arab lawmakers who backed his nomination to provide outside support ♦️ Beiteinu MP Avigdor Liberman has ruled out any government dependent on Arab parties, including one relying on their abstentions safety net Another route is a coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties: 🔴 Liberman has dropped his objection to cooperating with the ultra-Orthodoxs and proposed assembling 61 seats with Shas and United Torah Judaism 🔴 this clashes with the opposition's campaign pledge to end blanket military-service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men 🔴 religious parties seek legislation protecting those exemptions 🔴 Naftali Bennett has not endorsed any haredi compromise - vowing to end era of religious exemption Eisenkot has 28 days, extendable by 14. The first test comes on November 10 with the new Knesset’s swearing-in, when the opposition will try to replace the speaker and begin setting the parliamentary agenda. If he fails, the mandate returns to Netanyahu, who could try to form his own coalition while his government continues as a caretaker administration. 👍 Substack | Chat | @geopolitics_prime