Israel's president taps opposition candidate Eisenkot to form a government, in setback for Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has selected opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot to attempt forming a governing coalition after the country's elections on October 27, according to the Associated Press report. Eisenkot, a former military chief, had campaigned as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading a group of parties aiming to remove Israel's longest-serving premier.

Although neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu secured a majority in the vote, representatives from most of Israel's major parties advised the president to appoint Eisenkot to build a new government. The announcement was made shortly after Netanyahu urged for a "national unity government" in a video statement, cautioning against forming a government with "terrorist supporters," a reference to the Arab-led parties.

Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly characterized the Arab-led parties as a threat to national security, while Eisenkot has expressed openness to partnering with them under specific conditions, including labeling Hamas as a terrorist group that requires destruction. Eisenkot's party, Yashar, responded critically to Netanyahu's video on social media, urging members of his Likud party to disavow their alliance with "radical parties," which they perceived as a call to distance themselves from more extreme groups within their religious-nationalist constituency.