Israel’s president taps Eisenkot to form government, in setback for Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Saturday night that he was giving opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a governing coalition following elections on October 27. Eisenkot, a former military chief, ran as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading a bloc of parties seeking to oust Israel’s longest-serving premier. Neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu won a clear majority in the vote. But in marathon discussions with the president this week,...