Israel's president tasks Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government after deadlocked election
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Saturday night he intended to task Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief, with forming a government, according to the Guardian, after the October 27 election left neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition with a Knesset majority. Fox News reported Eisenkot secured 67 Knesset endorsements to Netanyahu's 46. Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a coalition, Deutsche Welle reported; DW and others noted his alliance is short of a majority and may depend on Arab-majority parties and on talks with ultra-Orthodox parties, which the Washington Post said would likely require him to revisit pledges on universal conscription. Israel's new parliament was sworn in on Tuesday, France 24 and Khaleej Times reported, with Le Monde reporting Eisenkot promised reforms "as fast as possible." Vedomosti reported Netanyahu said Likud must lead the government.
33 outlets · 33 independent
How each bloc framed it
WAS · Washington
US outlets led with the end of Netanyahu's tenure and the obstacles to Eisenkot's coalition, with the Washington Post focusing on a possible deal with ultra-Orthodox parties and the conscription pledge it would require.
BEI · Beijingstate
SCMP framed the tasking as a setback for Netanyahu and a first step toward removing him, profiling Eisenkot as a reserved newcomer, while state outlet CGTN carried only the bare announcement of the mandate.
MOS · Moscow
The single Vedomosti item carried Netanyahu's statement that Likud must lead Israel's government, and did not report the mandate itself.
BRU · Brussels
European outlets led with the formal transfer of the 28-day mandate and the arithmetic of coalition-building, with French coverage emphasising the role of Arab-majority parties and the divisions in Eisenkot's own camp.
GLF · The Gulfstate
Gulf outlets led with the mandate and the swearing-in of the new parliament, with Al Jazeera foregrounding the possible role of Arab blocs and Herzog's call against a repeat election.
LON · London
UK outlets led with Herzog's tasking of Eisenkot and the deadlocked Knesset, then his outreach to Netanyahu's allies and warnings about the state of the country.
TOK · Tokyo
Japanese outlets led with Herzog's request to Eisenkot, noting he drew more endorsements than Netanyahu and that coalition talks appeared difficult, with later coverage of his policy agenda as parliament was sworn in.
DEL · Delhi
Indian outlets led with Eisenkot's call for "creative and unconventional political moves" and his reliance on Arab parties for a majority, then coverage of the swearing-in, his pledges to reverse Netanyahu's policies, and Netanyahu's call for a broad unity government.
BRA · Brasília
Brazilian outlet g1 led with Herzog's appeal at the opening of the new parliament session for party leaders to make concessions, then with Eisenkot's pledge to remove Netanyahu and the support he still needs to form a government.
Press in exile
Outlets that cover a bloc from outside it. They never speak for that bloc: they do not count towards the 9 blocs and do not end its silence. Why
MOS · Moscow · in exile
Novaya Gazeta Europe reported the decision to task Eisenkot, the endorsement count of 67 to 46 and the planned formal handover of the mandate on November 8, and noted the decision did not yet mean Eisenkot would become prime minister — details the single Vedomosti item did not carry.
Outlets & characterisations (33)
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 Eisenkot, described as Netanyahu's main rival, after no party won a governing majority.Read report ↗
- The New York Times· Private— led with Eisenkot's chance to replace Netanyahu as prime minister and the obstacles in his path.Read report ↗
- Fox News· Private— led with the 67 endorsements over Netanyahu and coalition divisions over Arab parties and conscription.Read report ↗
- The Washington Post· Private— led with Eisenkot's "creative and unconventional political steps" remark and later with a possible ultra-Orthodox deal requiring him to revisit conscription pledges.Read report ↗
Beijing (2)
- South China Morning Post· Private· Hong Kong— framed the tasking as a setback for Netanyahu and a first step toward his removal, and profiled Eisenkot as a reserved political newcomer.Read report ↗
- CGTN· State— carried only the bare announcement of the mandate after Herzog's consultations with parties.Read report ↗
Brussels (9)
- Deutsche Welle· Public— led with the tasking and expected tricky coalition talks, later noting the alliance is 13 seats short of a majority.Read report ↗
- Frankfurter Allgemeine· Private[de]— led with the formal mandate and the absence of a majority for either camp, later calling Eisenkot's task near-unsolvable.Read report ↗
- tagesschau Ausland· Public[de]— led with the 28-day mandate and Eisenkot's call for other parties to accept "unconventional political steps."Read report ↗
- Libération· Private[fr]— led with the 28-day mandate and the choice over the hand extended by Arab formations that won 19 seats, later covering divisions in Eisenkot's own camp.Read report ↗
- Le Figaro· Private[fr]— led with the 28-day mandate and an still-unfindable majority, citing opposition divisions over Arab parties and ultra-Orthodox conscription.Read report ↗
- Der Spiegel· Private[de]— led with Netanyahu's renewed call, in a video message, for a national unity government.Read report ↗
- France 24· Public— led with the swearing-in of the new parliament and the absence of a majority for either camp.Read report ↗
- Süddeutsche Zeitung· Private[de]— led with Eisenkot's limited time and the possibility of his addressing the failures of the current premier around October 7.Read report ↗
- Le Monde· Private[fr]— led with the parliament's first session, the speakership vote and Eisenkot's promise of reforms "as fast as possible," then with fast legislative reforms including a commission of inquiry on October 7, 2023.Read report ↗
The Gulf (3)
- Asharq Al-Awsat· Private— led with Herzog giving Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government, and separately profiled Avigdor Lieberman's role in the coalition talks.Read report ↗
- Khaleej Times· Private— led with the swearing-in of the new parliament as Eisenkot seeks a government after the election deadlock.Read report ↗
- Al Jazeera· State[ar]— foregrounded the position of Arab blocs and their weight in Eisenkot's path, and Herzog's warning against a repeat election and call for an October 7 inquiry.Read report ↗
London (3)
- The Guardian· Private— led with Herzog's tasking of Eisenkot after the deadlocked election, then with Eisenkot reaching out to Netanyahu's allies and saying the country is approaching a "point of no return."Read report ↗
- The Independent· Private— led with Eisenkot's warning that Israel is in a "state of emergency."Read report ↗
- BBC News· Public— led with the swearing-in of the new parliament and Eisenkot's first chance to build a government and oust the prime minister.Read report ↗
Tokyo (3)
- NHK· Public[ja]— led with Eisenkot, whose party came second and who drew more endorsements than Netanyahu, being set to receive the mandate, and noted Netanyahu's aim to stay on.Read report ↗
- Asahi Shimbun· Private[ja]— led with the president's request to the anti-Netanyahu camp and the prospect of difficult coalition talks.Read report ↗
- Japan Today· Private— led with Eisenkot's agenda to reverse Netanyahu's policies as the new parliament was sworn in.Read report ↗
Delhi (6)
- The Indian Express· Private— led with Eisenkot's statement that the task requires "creative and unconventional political moves."Read report ↗
- The Hindu· Private— led with the new parliament taking aim at Netanyahu and Herzog's call to avoid a fresh election.Read report ↗
- Scroll· Private— led with Eisenkot's uphill task, saying his best chance of a majority rests on the two Arab parties.Read report ↗
- Hindustan Times· Private— led with Eisenkot's vow to reverse Netanyahu's policies as parliament was sworn in, then with Netanyahu condemning a bid to form a "dangerous government" with Ra'am and the Joint List, and the 67 recommendations and 28-day window.Read report ↗
- India Today· Private— led with Netanyahu's call for a broad unity government.Read report ↗
- Navbharat Times· Private[hi]— led with the arithmetic, reporting Eisenkot's alliance at 48 seats against a 61-seat majority threshold and needing 13 more.Read report ↗
Coverage timeline by bloc (first report)
BRUBrussels· first via Deutsche Welle
19:56 UTC (24 reports)
BEIBeijing· first via South China Morning Post
20:05 UTC (4 reports)
WASWashington· first via The Hill
21:13 UTC (10 reports)
TOKTokyo· first via NHK
00:50 UTC (4 reports)
GLFThe Gulf· first via Asharq Al-Awsat
07:21 UTC (16 reports)
LONLondon· first via The Guardian
14:26 UTC (6 reports)
DELDelhi· first via The Indian Express
16:52 UTC (8 reports)
MOSMoscow· first via Vedomosti
19:18 UTC (1 report)
BRABrasília· first via g1
15:00 UTC (2 reports)
Independent confirmation working (33 outlets → 33 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
South China Morning Post[independent]
South China Morning Post
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
Novaya Gazeta Europe[independent]
Novaya Gazeta Europe
The Guardian[independent]
The Guardian
Libération[independent]
Libération
Le Figaro[independent]
Le Figaro
The Indian Express[independent]
The Indian Express
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
g1[independent]
g1
The Hindu[independent]
The Hindu
Scroll[independent]
Scroll
Al Jazeera[independent]
Al Jazeera
Hindustan Times[independent]
Hindustan Times
Japan Today[independent]
Japan Today
India Today[independent]
India Today
Navbharat Times[independent]
Navbharat Times