Israel’s opposition leaders back Eisenkot to oust Netanyahu

Leaders of five Israeli opposition parties agreed to back former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister and replace Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as soon as possible. Meeting in Herzliya on Tuesday, they said their parties would recommend him to President Isaac Herzog, whose consultations on forming the next government begin Wednesday. Neither bloc won a majority in the October 27 election, and the opposition remains divided over an alliance with Arab-led parties whose support could prove decisive. The leaders also set principles that could exclude some of those parties, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and designation of Hamas as a terrorist group.