Israel’s president picks opposition candidate Eisenkot to form government

Israel’s president has tapped opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to try to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, after a vote in which neither bloc won a majority and Arab parties won a record 19 seats.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government after the October 27 election, a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, CBS News reports.

Herzog announced the decision on Saturday night. Neither Eisenkot, a former military chief, nor Netanyahu’s party won a clear majority, but most main parties recommended Eisenkot.

Eisenkot’s four-party bloc won 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, Netanyahu’s bloc 53 and Arab-majority parties a record 19. Neither side can govern without support from the Arab parties. Eisenkot has indicated he would partner with them if they meet conditions.

Netanyahu called for a “national unity government” and warned against “hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters,” an apparent reference to Arab-led parties backing Eisenkot. He has alleged, without evidence, that some Arab countries interfered in the election. The elections committee’s acting director-general said “there is no basis to the claims regarding a systematic compromise of the integrity of the elections.”