Israel’s president picks Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to form government

Israel’s president has ⁠chosen Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ⁠strongest rival, to ⁠try to ​form a new government, Israeli media has ⁠reported, following a deadlocked election that left neither man ⁠with a clear path to power.

Isaac Herzog informed the leader of the Yashar party, Gadi Eisenkot, of his intention to task him with forming a government,” Herzog’s office said, adding that the formal appointment would take place in an official ceremony on Sunday at the president’s residence in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu, ​Israel’s ‌longest-serving leader, ‌is fighting to hold on to office ‌after his religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in an election on 27 October but still emerged as the largest bloc ‌in parliament.

An anti-Netanyahu grouping led by Eisenkot, an ​ex-military chief, has refused to join forces with Arab parties who could hand it a ⁠majority.

But Arab leaders, angered ​by ​policies of Netanyahu ​and his far-right allies, ​still ‌nominated Eisenkot during ​marathon ​talks with Herzog.