In a setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his main rival will be tasked with forming the next Israeli government, placing him one step closer to ousting Israel’s longest-serving leader, even as the path remains complicated.
Gadi Eisenkot, a retired military chief who led the centrist Yashar party in the October 27 election, will have up to six weeks to try and assemble a coalition to replace Netanyahu. But his path to power is fraught with political obstacles and divisions within the opposition itself.
President Isaac Herzog will officially give Eisenkot the mandate to form a government on Sunday, his office said in a statement. Herzog’s decision followed two days of consultations last week with all parties elected to the Knesset.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
