Eisenkot takes the mandate on Sunday, loses his first negotiation with Likud by Tuesday night

Herzog announced on Saturday 7 November that he would give the mandate to Eisenkot rather than Netanyahu, and handed it over formally at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem the following day, AP reported via PBS NewsHour. Al Jazeera reported that Herzog gave Eisenkot 28 days to secure 61 Knesset seats; Israel Hayom reported that the initial mandate expires in December. Herzog had until 11 November to name a candidate under Al Jazeera’s earlier account of the timetable, and moved three days early. At the handover, i24NEWS quoted Herzog telling Eisenkot that “the eyes of the entire nation, with all its pain, hopes, prayers, and fears, are upon you,” and reported that Eisenkot would seek to build a government on four parties. Ahmad Tibi of the Joint List, which holds 11 seats, told Al Jazeera the decision was “expected.”

The 26th Knesset convened on Tuesday and swore in 120 lawmakers — 47 first-time MKs and 33 women, including five former IDF generals and a former Shin Bet chief, per the Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel. Herzog used the session to warn against another round of elections. Netanyahu then addressed the chamber; Haaretz reported that he called for a unity government with Eisenkot and delivered a lengthy attack on Arab lawmakers. At 8:29 pm the Times of Israel’s liveblog logged that Yashar had cancelled its scheduled negotiations with Likud over what it called Netanyahu’s “divisive speech.” Israel Hayom, which is sympathetic to Netanyahu, carried the same cancellation at 21:15 local time, adding that Eisenkot had invited all factions to talks on four principles and set three conditions for Likud, the first being that it sever an alliance with other parties — the Israel Hayom snippet does not name them.

The first hard count comes over the Speaker’s chair. The Times of Israel reported that Eisenkot’s bloc wants to replace incumbent Speaker Amir Ohana of Likud as quickly as possible and has settled on the candidate at No. 5 on Yashar’s slate, and that Eisenkot has submitted signatures to oust him; Haaretz’s live file reported that Ohana has himself scheduled a vote on his replacement. The arithmetic runs through the Haredi parties. The Jerusalem Post’s Monday file was headlined on Eisenkot looking to the Haredim to unseat the Speaker, and recorded MK Porush saying his party would not join a government without a solution for yeshiva students. The Times of Israel logged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urging the Haredi parties to reject a reported offer, the contents of which have not been established.

Assessment: Treat the seat count with care. Israel Hayom’s headline slug asserts Eisenkot secured 67 MKs, but that figure appears nowhere in the body text and nothing else in the record confirms it; if it is right, the Haredi parties are a convenience rather than a necessity, and if it is wrong, Porush’s price is the whole government. The Speaker vote answers that before any coalition does — watch specifically whether Haredi MKs back Eisenkot’s nominee while refusing to sit with him. Note also the titles: the Times of Israel now writes “interim” and “caretaker” prime minister, Haaretz still writes “Prime Minister.” The English-language commentary warning of a January 6-style Knesset is commentary, not reporting.