Gadi Eisenkot receives mandate to form Israeli coalition government

President Isaac Herzog announced that Gadi Eisenkot, a retired military chief who led the centrist Yashar party in the October 27 election, will be given a mandate to form a new Israeli government. Eisenkot has up to six weeks to negotiate a coalition that could replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led the country for the longest period in its history. Herzog said the decision followed two days of consultations with all parties elected to the Knesset. Analysts note that Eisenkot faces significant political obstacles and internal divisions among opposition groups as he seeks to build a governing majority.