Jerusalem, Nov. 7 -- In a major political setback for incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog on Saturday formally decided to task Yashar party chairman and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government, after a clear majority of Knesset lawmakers endorsed him over the incumbent PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Eisenkot, a retired military chief who spearheaded the centrist Yashar bloc during the parliamentary polls, will now have a statutory window of up to six weeks to negotiate with prospective allies and stitch together a viable majority capable of formally replacing Netanyahu in the prime minister's office.

The decision follows extensive consultations between President Herzog and representat...