Israel's vote left both blocs short of 61 seats. Will President Herzog pick someone to form a government by Nov 11?

Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, with forming Israel's next government on Nov. 7-8, choosing him over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after neither bloc secured the 61 Knesset seats needed for a majority in the Oct. 27 election. Eisenkot secured recommendations from factions representing 67 Knesset members, compared with 46 who backed Netanyahu, according to Al Jazeera and Israeli outlets. Herzog said Netanyahu's Likud remained the largest single party in the incoming Knesset, but that fact alone did not obligate him to give Netanyahu first opportunity to form a coalition. Eisenkot was granted the standard 28 days under Israel's Basic Law to assemble a coalition, with Herzog able to extend that window by up to 14 additional days if needed. Netanyahu, who has not conceded, continued pushing for a national unity government in the aftermath. Eisenkot, for his part, called for a national emergency government and said he could swiftly form one with a substantial majority, even though some of the factions that recommended him, including Arab-led parties, remain divided over working together. The community mostly got this right: 80% of Predict Six voters expected Herzog to name someone to form a government by Nov. 11, and his Nov. 7-8 decision on Eisenkot came well within that window.