Israeli President Tasks Opposition Candidate Gadi Eisenkot To Form Government

Israeli President <b>Isaac Herzog</b> announced on Saturday night that opposition candidate <b>Gadi Eisenkot</b> has the first opportunity to form a governing coalition. This development follows the elections held on Oct. 27, marking a significant setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot, a former military chief and the main challenger to Netanyahu, now has up to six weeks to assemble a new government. Representatives from most of Israel's main parties recommended Eisenkot during discussions with the president this week. Forming a parliamentary majority remains a challenging task in a deeply divided nation. Netanyahu and his allies lost their majority in last month's elections, though Eisenkot's bloc also fell short of securing a majority.