Israel’s president picks Eisenkot over Netanyahu to form next government

The BBC is reporting that "Israel's president says he will task opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a new coalition government. Isaac Herzog has been holding talks with political parties after neither Eisenkot's bloc nor that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a majority in Israel's parliament, known as the Knesset, following last week's election. Eisenkot will now have 28 days to try to form a new administration, with a potential 14-day extension."

CBC is reporting that "Eisenkot has criticized settler violence against Palestinians, which has surged since 2023, raising tensions in Israel’s ties with Western states, and he opposes Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who have both faced sanctions by some Western countries for inciting ⁠violence against Palestinians."