Eisenkot gets chance to form Israeli government after election deadlock

President Isaac Herzog has chosen opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to try to form Israel’s next government after last month’s election left parliament deadlocked. If Eisenkot can secure a coalition, he would replace Benjamin Netanyahu, whose religious-nationalist bloc lost its majority despite remaining the largest group; the outcome could reshape the country’s direction after Netanyahu’s long and divisive tenure.

Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, while Netanyahu’s camp won 53, leaving both short of a majority. The two Arab-majority lists endorsed Eisenkot, giving them potential influence, but it is unclear whether his bloc would accept their support. A former military chief, Eisenkot has opposed Palestinian statehood and vowed to end Hamas’s rule in Gaza, while also criticising attacks by extremist West Bank settlers.