Arab parties hold the key as Israel struggles to form a government

Detailed summary

Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the center-right Yashar party, appears to have the advantage in forming a coalition government in Israel that would oust long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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BEIRUT — When Israeli President Isaac Herzog announces his choice for who can try to form a governing coalition on Sunday, he’ll be making a pivotal decision in a contested election that many see as Israel’s most fateful.

Before Herzog are two bitter rivals: Longtime incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party versus Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the center-right Yashar party and once served as Netanyahu’s military chief of staff.

As of Thursday, after days of consultations between Herzog and the parties that won a place in the 120-seat Knesset, Eisenkot appears to have the advantage. When no party prevails in the parliament, the president — an otherwise largely ceremonial figure — selects which party can lead in forming a government.

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