While it is true that Israel’s anti-Netanyahu leader, Gen. (ret.) Gadi Eisenkot officially has at least 28 days to form a government and end PM Netanyahu political career, there are two overlooked yet remarkable developments:

Eisenkot apparently means to pull together his government much more quickly, as he has insisted that he is forming a “national emergency government.” He views Netanyahu’s presence as head of a caretaker government as a clear and present danger, threatening both Israel’s democracy and its survival.

Netanyahu, since President Isaac Herzog informed him Saturday evening that his opponent would have the next 28-42 days to form a new government, has appeared in a dissociated state, apparently unable to process the reality.

Both of the Arab-based parties have offered to put Eisenkot over the top but one of his electoral coalition allies, Avigdor Lieberman, has threatened to pull his 7 seats out if Eisenkot’s government relies in some (unspecified) fashion on the Arab-based parties. There’s the rub. The two Arab-based blocs have offered Eisenkot negotiating room with Lieberman by offering Eisenkot their support to form the government without demanding any cabinet positions in return. Lieberman has, so far, simply reiterated his general prohibition, implying that it is not enough to keep all non-Jewish Knesset members out of the Cabinet. Instead, he’s pushing a scheme to recruit 13 of Netanyahu’s allies to get a 61-seat majority and freeze the Arab-bloc out.