Who will rule Israel? President Herzog gives Netanyahu's rival first shot to form government

Herzog has been holding consultations with political parties after neither Eisenkot's bloc nor that of Netanyahu managed to secure a majority in the Knesset following the elections.

Eisenkot will now have 28 days to form a government. He may also be granted a 14-day extension if necessary. If he fails to secure the required support, Netanyahu could get another opportunity to form a government.

In a statement, Herzog said: "The picture is as follows: the representatives of factions totalling 67 members of Knesset recommended the Leader of the Yashar! party, Gadi Eisenkot, to form a government, while the representatives of factions totalling 46 members of Knesset recommended the Prime Minister and Leader of the Likud party, Benjamin Netanyahu, to form a government."

In his first major reaction to the development, Eisenkot wrote on X: "Now is the time to form a national emergency government."

"I will do everything to ensure we are worthy," he added.

Israel has historically been governed through coalition arrangements, as no single party has secured an outright majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies won 53 seats, while Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his bloc secured 48 seats, the BBC reported.

In a significant development, reflecting strong participation by Arab voters, two Arab-led alliances -- the United Arab List and the Joint List -- together won 19 seats.