Herzog announces his pick

Israel's president Isaac Herzog has chosen Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party and Benjamin Netanyahu's strongest rival, to try to put together a new government after the 27 October election ended without a majority. According to Herzog's office, the president informed Eisenkot on Saturday night of his intention to hand him the task. The formal appointment is to take place at an official ceremony on Sunday at the president's residence in Jerusalem.

Eisenkot's pledge

Eisenkot responded on X with a public commitment to the task ahead:

Should he succeed in assembling a coalition, Eisenkot would take over as prime minister from Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving premier. The backdrop is a parliament in which Netanyahu's religious-nationalist camp holds 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats and Eisenkot's opposition bloc 48, leaving neither side with a majority.

Who Eisenkot is

The 66-year-old former general served as military chief of staff from 2015 to 2019. He commanded the military in the 2006 war with Hezbollah and devised the so-called "Dahiya doctrine", named after a heavily damaged Beirut suburb, which involved the use of massive force against civilian infrastructure in Hezbollah-controlled areas.

Where he stands

His stated positions going into coalition talks span a wide range:

• •During consultations with Herzog, Eisenkot received the endorsements of both Arab-majority lists
• •He vowed to crack down on extremist West Bank settlers attacking Palestinians, decrying recent incidents as "Jewish terror" abetted by Netanyahu's government
• •He opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and has vowed to end Hamas's rule in Gaza and destroy its military wing

The next step comes on Sunday, when the ceremony at the president's residence formally tasks him with attempting to assemble a coalition.