Israel's president taps opposition candidate Eisenkot to form a government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Saturday night that he was giving opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a governing coalition following elections on Oct. 27. Eisenkot, a former military chief, ran as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading a bloc of parties seeking to oust Israel's longest-serving premier."Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy," Eisenkot wrote on X in his first reaction to the announcement of his designation.Neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu's party won a clear majority in the vote. But in marathon discussions with the president this week, representatives from most of Israel's main parties recommended Eisenkot be tasked with assembling a new government.

Herzog's decision is a setback for Netanyahu, who has leveled allegations, so far without evidence, that some Arab countries interfered in the elections.The acting director-general of the Central Elections Committee, Din Livne, said in a letter to a committee member on Thursday that "there is no basis to the claims regarding a systematic compromise of the integrity of the elections."Herzog's announcement, which had been expected on Sunday, came shortly after Netanyahu called for a "national unity government" in a video statement and warned against "hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters" — an apparent reference to the