Israel's president tasks opposition leader Eisenkot with forming government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, with trying to form a government after the election left both blocs short of a Knesset majority. Eisenkot has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, and received 67 recommendations for prime minister, compared with 46 for Benjamin Netanyahu. Likud and its allies won 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, Eisenkot’s bloc won 48, and two Arab-led alliances took 19, potentially giving them a pivotal role despite Jewish parties’ reluctance to govern with them.