Herzog gives Eisenkot the first mandate to form a government, a blow to Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on the evening of November 7 that he will task Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government, Reuters and AP report. "The mandate will be officially granted on Sunday at the President's Residence in Jerusalem," Herzog said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

According to Times of Israel, Herzog met both Eisenkot and Netanyahu before the decision. In consultations that ended on November 5–6, Eisenkot was recommended by 67 lawmakers and Netanyahu by 46. JNS notes that mutual vetoes within and between the blocs mean the number of recommendations alone does not decide who can govern.

No majority in the Knesset

Neither bloc won a majority in the October 27 election. Eisenkot's core bloc holds 48 seats, and 61 are needed for a majority. Avigdor Liberman dropped his veto on the ultra-Orthodox parties on November 6, while Eisenkot is sticking to mandatory military service for all. AP describes the decision as "a setback for Netanyahu", Israel's longest-serving prime minister.