Israel's Herzog tasks Gadi Eisenkot with forming government after deadlocked election
Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday, 7 November, that he would task Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government, following consultations with political parties. In those consultations, parties representing 67 of the Knesset's 120 members recommended Eisenkot, while 46 recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe, citing the presidential office. CGTN reports that Herzog made the announcement on Saturday evening. The October 27 elections left neither Eisenkot's opposition bloc nor Netanyahu's coalition with a majority, and the mandate does not itself make Eisenkot prime minister. Reports describe a 28-day window to form a coalition. Israel's new parliament was due to be sworn in on Tuesday, 10 November, with neither camp holding a majority, according to France 24 and Khaleej Times.
25 outlets · 25 independent
How each bloc framed it
WAS · Washington
US outlets led with the presidential mandate and Netanyahu's loss of his coalition majority, framed the task as Eisenkot seeking to replace Netanyahu, and gave prominence to the coalition obstacles over Arab parties and ultra-Orthodox conscription, with no outlet stating a view on the outcome.
BEI · Beijingstate
Chinese outlets led with the mandate as a setback for Netanyahu and with Herzog's announcement itself, and one outlet carried a profile of Eisenkot that noted a path to the top job.
MOS · Moscow
not covered by the bloc's own press (exile coverage below).
BRU · Brussels
European outlets led with the formal mandate and the 28-day deadline, foregrounded the arithmetic — the absence of a majority and the 13 seats Eisenkot's alliance lacks — and gave space to whether the Netanyahu era is ending, with several framing the coalition task as difficult or near-unsolvable.
GLF · The Gulfstate
Gulf outlets led with the president giving Eisenkot the first chance to form a government and with the swearing-in of the new parliament, and one outlet focused on Avigdor Lieberman's role in the coalition negotiations.
LON · London
UK outlets led with Herzog's selection of Eisenkot and the deadlocked Knesset, then moved to Eisenkot's outreach to Netanyahu's allies, his warnings about the country's condition, and the coalition-building task.
TOK · Tokyo
Japanese outlets led with the presidential request to Eisenkot after his party placed second in the election and he drew more recommendations than Netanyahu, and flagged that coalition talks may be difficult.
Outlets & characterisations (25)
Every characterisation below is written in our own words; no publisher headline is reproduced. Each row links out to the original report.
Washington (4)
- The Hill· Private— led with Herzog selecting Netanyahu's rival Eisenkot and with Netanyahu's coalition losing its majority in the October 27 elections.Read report ↗
- The New York Times· Private— led with Eisenkot seeking to replace Netanyahu as prime minister and with the obstacles described as formidable; a later piece described him as opposition leader tapped to try to form a government after an inconclusive election.Read report ↗
- Fox News· Private— led with the 67 Knesset endorsements for Eisenkot over Netanyahu and with coalition divisions over Arab parties and conscription.Read report ↗
- The Washington Post· Private— led with Eisenkot's moves to oust Netanyahu and his call for "creative and unconventional political steps," then with opposition talks with ultra-Orthodox parties that would probably require him to backtrack on conscription pledges.Read report ↗
Beijing (2)
- Hong Kong· Private— led with the mandate as a setback for Netanyahu and with the opening to an alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jews; a follow-up profile described Eisenkot's pathway to the top job.Read report ↗
- CGTN· State— led with Herzog's Saturday evening announcement of the task to Yashar party leader Eisenkot.Read report ↗
Moscow (2)
- Russian press in exile· Exile[ru]— reported the decision to task Yashar leader Eisenkot, citing The Times of Israel and the presidential office, noted the mandate does not itself make him prime minister, and gave the consultation figures of 67 and 46.Read report ↗
- Vedomosti· Private[ru]— carried Netanyahu's statement that Likud should lead Israel's government.Read report ↗
Brussels (9)
- Deutsche Welle· Public— led with Herzog picking Eisenkot to take the first attempt at forming a government and with expected tricky coalition talks; a later piece noted the alliance lacks 13 seats for its own majority and that Arab-minority parties could help.Read report ↗
- Frankfurter Allgemeine· Private[de]— led with the formal mandate and the election result leaving neither bloc a majority, then framed the task as nearly unsolvable given his position on paper.Read report ↗
- tagesschau Ausland· Public[de]— led with whether the Netanyahu era is ending, the 28-day window, and Eisenkot's appeal to other parties to accept unconventional political steps.Read report ↗
- Libération· Private[fr]— led with the 28-day deadline and the choice over whether to take up the outstretched hand of Arab formations that won 19 seats, then with the contradictions in his own camp.Read report ↗
- Le Figaro· Private[fr]— led with the 28-day window and a majority still unfound, pointing to opposition divisions over Arab parties and ultra-Orthodox conscription as threatening the talks.Read report ↗
- Der Spiegel· Private[de]— led with Netanyahu's renewed call for a national unity government by video message amid continued uncertainty over who will lead.Read report ↗
- France 24· Public— led with the new parliament's swearing-in with neither camp holding a majority, then with whether the page on Netanyahu is turning after nineteen years.Read report ↗
- Süddeutsche Zeitung· Private[de]— led with the limited time Eisenkot has to replace Netanyahu and with the prospect of him airing the current premier's errors before the October 7 attacks in parliament.Read report ↗
- Le Monde· Private[fr]— led with the parliament's first session and Eisenkot's promise to form a government as fast as possible, noting the speakership vote and far-right calls to demonstrate outside the Knesset.Read report ↗
The Gulf (3)
- Asharq Al-Awsat· Private— led with the president giving Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government; a separate Arabic piece focused on Avigdor Lieberman's role in the coalition negotiations.Read report ↗
- Khaleej Times· Private— led with the swearing-in of the new parliament as Eisenkot seeks to form a government after the election deadlock.Read report ↗
- Al Jazeera· State— led with Herzog warning against a repeat election in the new Knesset session and calling for an inquiry into the October 7 attacks amid gridlock.Read report ↗
London (3)
- The Guardian· Private— led with Herzog's choice of Yashar leader Eisenkot after a deadlocked election and the presidential office's statement of intent, then with Eisenkot reaching out to Netanyahu's allies and saying the prime minister brought the country to a historic crisis.Read report ↗
- The Independent· Private— led with Eisenkot's warning that Israel is in a "state of emergency" and with the challenge of forming a government after the October elections.Read report ↗
- BBC News· Public— led with the new parliament's swearing-in and with Eisenkot having the first chance to build a government and oust the prime minister.Read report ↗
Tokyo (2)
- NHK· Public[ja]— led with the expected request to Eisenkot, whose party placed second and who drew more recommendations than Netanyahu, while Netanyahu aims to continue in office.Read report ↗
- Asahi Shimbun· Private[ja]— led with the president's request to the anti-Netanyahu camp and with coalition talks likely to be difficult.Read report ↗
Coverage timeline by bloc (first report)
BRUBrussels· first via Deutsche Welle
19:56 UTC (21 reports)
BEIBeijing· first via South China Morning Post
20:05 UTC (4 reports)
WASWashington· first via The Hill
21:13 UTC (9 reports)
TOKTokyo· first via NHK
00:50 UTC (3 reports)
GLFThe Gulf· first via Asharq Al-Awsat
07:21 UTC (11 reports)
MOSMoscow· first via Novaya Gazeta Europe
07:45 UTC (2 reports)
LONLondon· first via The Guardian
14:26 UTC (5 reports)
Independent confirmation working (25 outlets → 25 independent)
Outlets citing the same wire agency, carrying near-duplicate standfirsts, or belonging to the same ownership group count as one confirmation.
Deutsche Welle[independent]
Deutsche Welle
Hong Kong[independent]
Hong Kong
Frankfurter Allgemeine[independent]
Frankfurter Allgemeine
tagesschau Ausland[independent]
tagesschau Ausland
The Hill[independent]
The Hill
The New York Times[independent]
The New York Times
Fox News[independent]
Fox News
NHK[independent]
NHK
CGTN[independent]
CGTN
Asharq Al-Awsat[independent]
Asharq Al-Awsat
Russian press in exile[independent]
Russian press in exile
The Guardian[independent]
The Guardian
Libération[independent]
Libération
Le Figaro[independent]
Le Figaro
Asahi Shimbun[independent]
Asahi Shimbun
The Washington Post[independent]
The Washington Post
The Independent[independent]
The Independent
Vedomosti[independent]
Vedomosti
Der Spiegel[independent]
Der Spiegel
France 24[independent]
France 24
BBC News[independent]
BBC News
Khaleej Times[independent]
Khaleej Times
Süddeutsche Zeitung[independent]
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Le Monde[independent]
Le Monde
Al Jazeera[independent]
Al Jazeera