Officially... Israeli President tasks Eisenkot with forming the government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the new government, after consultations in which blocs representing 67 Knesset members recommended him, against 46 who recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Herzog noted that Israel faces major challenges related to Iran, Gaza and Lebanon that cannot wait. Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government that wins the Knesset's confidence, with a possible 14-day extension. Neither camp secured the required majority of 61 seats: Netanyahu's camp got 53 seats and Eisenkot's camp 48, while the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra'am) won 19 seats; with their recommendation Eisenkot's tally rose to 67 lawmakers, though that does not bind them to join his coalition. A dispute is emerging within Eisenkot's camp, as Avigdor Liberman supports tasking him but opposes the next government relying on support from Arab parties.