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Israeli president tasks Gadi Eisenkot to form government

politicsNov 8, 2026391,304

President Isaac Herzog has given former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, the mandate to try to form a government after the deadlocked 27 October election. Herzog informed Eisenkot on Saturday night and will formally appoint him at a ceremony on Sunday at the president's residence in Jerusalem. Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats in October, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp won 53, leaving no clear majority. Eisenkot said, "Now is the time to form a national emergency government," and has pledged to crack down on extremist West Bank settlers while opposing creation of a Palestinian state and vowing to destroy Hamas’s military wing. During consultations Eisenkot received endorsements from both Arab-majority lists, whose support could be decisive although it remains unclear whether his bloc would accept their backing. If Eisenkot succeeds he would replace Netanyahu as prime minister; he has 28 days to secure 61 votes, with a possible 14-day extension, and failure would likely lead to fresh elections.

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