160: Eisenkot’s impossible trap – the case for a unity government, with Micah Goodman
160: Eisenkot’s impossible trap – the case for a unity government, with Micah Goodman  
Podcast: Ask Haviv Anything
Published On: Tue Nov 10 2026
Description: We have merch! Find our awesome new shirts, mugs and hats at https://shop.askhavivanything.com.To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything), Substack (https://havivgur.substack.com/), or Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur).If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠.And be sure to check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur).--Episode 160: Israel voted, and nobody won. Gadi Eisenkot gets the first shot at forming a government, and there’s no easy path to one.Micah Goodman returns to the podcast with an argument the anti-Bibi camp won’t want to hear: the only way out is a unity government with Netanyahu. Bibi gives up Ben Gvir and the Haredi parties, the opposition gives up replacing him, and Israel gets a government with enough domestic legitimacy to put down the growing chaos at home and turn its battlefield wins into regional normalization. He gives it a 40% chance.Haviv gives it zero. After “no tricks, no shticks” in 2020, what could Netanyahu promise the other side that anyone would believe? And Israel’s tradition, after all, is to crash first and rebuild after.--This episode was sponsored by a father-daughter duo, Philip Wharton and Sophie Smith, who asked us to share: “At a time when public opinion of Israel is at all time low among young Americans, we dedicate this episode to the young people who take the time to think more critically and independently about these issues. It takes bravery to go against the popular tide, especially on college campuses, and so we tip our hats to you.”Thank you for that dedication, Philip and Sophie.--Producer and editor: Rachel GurPresenter and editor: Haviv GurOperations: Nadav SingermanMusical intro: Adam Ben Amitai--If you like what we do here, please consider joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything or our Substack at https://havivgur.substack.com/. You can also “Buy Me a Coffee” at https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur. It helps us keep the lights on. Patreon and Substack are also the platforms where you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live.