Israel's President Picks Eisenkot to Try Forming Government
Israel's president has chosen Gadi Eisenkot, a rival of Netanyahu, to try to form a government. Eisenkot, a former military chief, has declined to join forces with Arab parties, even though their support would give him a majority of seats in parliament. The task now falls to him to build a coalition.
Context
Context: Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has 120 seats, so a party needs 61 to form a government alone. Since elections often fail to give one side a clear majority, leaders need partners, which is why the choice of who tries first matters.
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