Israeli president Isaac Herzog (right) and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot attend a ceremony in Jerusalem conferring the mandate to form a new government. (EPA Images pic)JERUSALEM: Israel's former military chief Gadi Eisenkot started the tough task Sunday of forming a government, reaching out to Benjamin Netanyahu's allies as he warned the veteran prime minister had brought the country to a historic crisis.
Eisenkot, 66, a political novice who has vowed to bridge Israel's deep polarisation under Netanyahu, formally received a mandate from President Isaac Herzog, giving him 28 days to form a government despite his bloc lacking a clear majority.
"We are in a state of emergency, approaching a point of no return for the State of Israel," Eisenkot, who had traded his usual all black for a suit and tie, said at a ceremony at the presidential office.
