Two negotiations are moving alongside one another: choosing who will lead the new parliament and assembling a government that can win its confidence. Agreement on the first could support cooperation on the second, but it does not settle the coalition's composition. No final coalition agreement appeared in the sources checked early on November 10, 2026.
The Mandate Has Already Been Granted
President Isaac Herzog's office confirmed that he assigned Eisenkot, leader of Yashar!, the task of forming a government on November 8. The question is therefore no longer who will receive the mandate, but whether Eisenkot can convert support for his candidacy into support for a particular administration.
The Knesset's official explanation gives the designated candidate 28 days. The president may grant extensions totaling up to 14 additional days. That extra time is discretionary, rather than an automatic part of the original mandate.
At the ceremony, Herzog highlighted security challenges, military personnel needs, conscription and the economy. These are substantive issues on which prospective partners will need agreement, beyond deciding who should become prime minister.
A Direction for Talks, Not a Completed Coalition
N12's report, updated at 8 p.m. on November 9, said Eisenkot and Liberman agreed to examine a government including the Haredi, or ultra Orthodox, parties. It also reported progress over the speakership, while noting that the candidate's identity had not been formally announced and coordination with other party leaders remained necessary.
A joint statement quoted by N12 expressed the two leaders' confidence that they could establish a government lasting four years. That describes their political intention, not an agreed cabinet or a completed policy platform.
Channel 13 reported that evening that they intended to exhaust talks with the Haredi parties before advancing a minority government alternative. This account of the discussion is a media report. It does not constitute a signed agreement with Shas or United Torah Judaism, or a commitment by either to join.
United Torah Judaism Keeps the Two Decisions Separate
N12 published Yaakov Asher's response to Yashar!'s Roy Folkman, who invited Haredi factions to support replacing the speaker. Asher said United Torah Judaism's position was that a speaker should be replaced alongside the formation of a new government, rather than when the Knesset convenes.
That limits the immediate parliamentary initiative. It does not, by itself, announce an end to coalition discussions. Conversely, the existence of talks does not erase the party's refusal to join the move against Ohana.
The distinction matters ahead of the 26th Knesset's opening, scheduled for November 10 according to N12 and Channel 13. Support for a speaker and support for a government remain separate decisions, even when the same leaders negotiate both.
The Next Test Is an Agreement Parliament Can Act On
The next concrete developments would be an announced speaker candidate and clearer commitments from prospective coalition partners. Reports of progress alone cannot establish that disputes over conscription or the coalition's composition have been resolved.
Under the procedure explained by the Knesset, a proposed government must present its policy guidelines, composition and ministerial assignments, then seek parliament's confidence. The outgoing government continues performing its duties until a new one is established. Eisenkot's mandate is a significant starting point, but it has not yet produced a transfer of power.
