Former military chief Benny Gantz received an official mandate on Wednesday to try to form Israel's next government, but with no easy path to ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long hold on power.
After inconclusive
elections in April and September, Gantz's nomination marked the first time since 2008 that someone other than Netanyahu, 70, has been asked by Israel's president to build a ruling coalition.
Head of the centrist Blue and White party, Gantz will have 28 days to complete the task assigned by President Reuven Rivlin in a televised ceremony.