Israel's new Knesset is about to be sworn in. What happens next?

President Isaac Herzog has granted Gadi Eisenkot the opportunity to form a new government following an election that failed to produce a clear winner. Although Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most seats in the October 27 election, his coalition did not secure the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Eisenkot now has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to attempt to convene a stable coalition from a deeply divided opposition.

Even if Eisenkot succeeds in forming a government this week, Haaretz reports he is not expected to announce it immediately. Instead, he will likely wait until his bloc replaces Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. According to The Conversation AU, any resulting government will face challenges such as maintaining coalition unity, escalating violence in the West Bank, and a changing relationship with the United States.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, The Conversation AU — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.