Eisenkot, Liberman confident on coalition after meeting

Eisenkot, Liberman: stable government ahead

Yesh leader Gadi Eisenkot and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman held what both sides called a substantive meeting Monday, expressing full confidence in their ability to form a four-year coalition, as talks with haredi parties continue and Naftali Bennett remains silent since election night

Yesh party leader Gadi Eisenkot and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman met Monday for what both sides described as a substantive and positive meeting. The two "expressed their full confidence in the ability to form a stable government for four years," according to a statement from Yesh after the meeting.

The meeting comes as coalition talks between the change bloc and the haredi parties have intensified in recent days, focusing primarily on the status of yeshiva students. Eisenkot received the mandate to form a government Sunday from President Yitzhak Herzog, after securing recommendations from 67 MKs, including the Arab parties.

Under Israeli law, Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, with a final deadline of December 6, 2026. If additional time is needed, the president is authorized to grant an extension of up to 14 more days.

Talks with the haredi parties are centered on the draft law and the arrangement for yeshiva students. A senior source in United Torah Judaism said the coming days will present a clear picture of the political system's willingness to reach an arrangement. "We have a significant week ahead regarding cooperation with the change bloc," the source said.

United Torah Judaism is making clear, however, that any political cooperation will be conditional on full preservation of the status quo on all religion-and-state issues. "It's clear that the draft law is the central issue, but there's no doubt that any cooperation of ours with any such party will require full preservation of the status quo on every religion-and-state matter," the source said.

Liberman, for his part, said "the precondition for any draft law is that it pass the High Court test." According to him, "otherwise, there's no point wasting even one minute on a law that isn't acceptable." Liberman also addressed reports about a collapse in draft-law talks and claimed that "in all the publications on the television channels, there isn't one word of truth."

In the Gerrer chassidus publication HaModia, an article appeared this morning laying the public groundwork for a possible joining of United Torah Judaism to the change bloc. The article made clear that "this time, it's not enough to settle for a written and signed commitment, because it's been proven to have no validity. This time, appropriate guarantees are required."

A source in the change bloc said "right now it looks like too complex a maze," adding that it's doubtful whether agreements will be reached during Eisenkot's mandate period. Still, Monday evening's meeting between Eisenkot and Liberman indicates that contacts and efforts to assemble a government are continuing.

It should be noted that United States President Donald Trump addressed Herzog's decision to grant the mandate to Eisenkot, and assessed that on the political and strategic level, the gaps between Eisenkot and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are smaller than people tend to think. "They are very similar in terms of their policy and worldview," Trump said.