Gadi Eisenkot secures 67 endorsements to try forming Israeli government
Big news in Israeli politics: Former defense chief and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, after consultations with President Isaac Herzog, just secured 67 endorsements, clearing the majority needed to try building a new government.
His support comes from a mix of the Jewish-led opposition bloc, Ra'am's 8 seats, and the Joint List.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's backing has dropped to just 46 seats after his longtime ally United Torah Judaism (UTJ) sat out over broken promises on military exemptions for religious students.
Eisenkot coalition faces cohesion challenges
Eisenkot's team is pretty diverse: he has Jewish opposition parties plus support from both the Joint List and Ra'am.
But with so many different priorities in the mix, keeping everyone on board could be tricky.
Still, this shift marks a big moment in Israeli politics as President Herzog is expected to officially hand Eisenkot the task soon, while Netanyahu faces cracks in his old alliances.