Eisenkot favored to form Israeli government with Arab party backing

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will announce Sunday whom he will task with forming a new government, after opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot received 67 parliamentary recommendations versus 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot, a former military chief promising national unity, secured backing from two Arab-majority lists that won a record 19 seats in the Oct. 27 election. Neither candidate achieved a majority, with seven lawmakers abstaining. Herzog traditionally grants the mandate to the candidate with the most recommendations. Netanyahu has led Israel through three years of war, while Eisenkot's coalition prospects depend on unprecedented Arab party support.