Israel's president set to hand Netanyahu rival first chance to form government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to announce Sunday whether he will task former military chief Gadi Eisenkot with forming a coalition government, following last week's inconclusive election that left neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition with a majority. Party consultations concluded Thursday, with Eisenkot's Yashar party and other "change" camp factions, plus Arab-Israeli parties, recommending him, while Netanyahu's Likud and right-wing allies backed the incumbent. Herzog cited "mutual vetoes between the blocs" as complicating the decision, and he plans personal talks with party leaders. The election saw record Arab-Israeli representation at 19 seats, fueling Netanyahu allies' unsubstantiated claims of foreign interference and a "stolen" election, which the Shin Bet chief alleged involved millions in foreign funds. Eisenkot faces an uphill path, with coalition partner Avigdor Liberman refusing to work with Arab-Israeli parties, though the opposition camp holds a combined 67 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.