Israeli election challenger Gadi Eisenkot will get the first attempt at forming a new government, putting him a step closer to ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's record-long tenure.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog's office said that on Sunday, he will nominate Eisenkot.
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Neither candidate's political camp won a clear parliamentary majority in the Oct. 27 vote, but Eisenkot's nomination was supported by a majority of parties.
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Eisenkot, a centrist ex-general, will have up to six weeks to try to form a coalition that accounts for the majority of Israel's 120 parliamentary seats. His bloc secured 48 in the Oct. 27 vote, short of Netanyahu's 53, but Herzog said on Thursday that representatives of 67 seats had endorsed him as the country's next leader.
Ideological disagreements among Eisenkot's likely partners may yet block his path, however. That could open the door for Netanyahu, who continues to govern in a caretaker capacity.
An Eisenkot government would consign the six-term Netanyahu to the opposition, where he would sit alongside fellow hard-rightists whose policies during recent wars against Hamas and Hezbollah drew international censure and tipped Israel toward global isolation. Eisenkot has pledged to reverse the country's course, without giving details. He's echoed Netanyahu's rejection of a Palestinian state and warnings about a nuclear-armed Iran.
Eisenkot's path to government could hinge on two parties representing the Israeli Arab minority, which has long been excluded from national governance. They significantly increased their parliamentary presence to 19 seats after a surge in turnout, and the issue of whether they can be incorporated in government raises questions about the inclusiveness of Israel's democracy.
Allying with the Arab parties might require that Eisenkot, 66, accept their lack of recognition of Israel as a Jewish state or designation of Hamas as a terrorist group. That may be a tall order for the former commander of the armed forces, who lost a son and two nephews as soldiers in the Gaza war.
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Eisenkot may try to recruit ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, which won a combined 13 seats and have signaled dissatisfaction with Netanyahu, their long-time patron. But their firm stance that their young men be exempt from military conscription is a likely deal-breaker.
Other options for Eisenkot including forming a minority government, which would be inherently weak, or join Netanyahu in a unity government. The latter outcome would become more likely if US President Donald Trump renews the military campaign against Iran, given Israel would be expected to offer support or risk further fracturing the already vulnerable US-Israeli partnership.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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