Herzog accepts election results as Israel enters government formation talks

Israel's President Isaac Herzog officially accepted the certified results of last week's parliamentary elections on Wednesday. By doing so, he initiated formal consultations with party leaders to determine which politician will be tasked with forming the next government. This procedural step marked a significant shift in the political landscape, effectively challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing efforts to discredit the voting process.

The recent elections saw Netanyahu and his allies lose their previous majority in the 120-member parliament. Simultaneously, Arab-led parties achieved historic gains in representation. Herzog stated that the elections are now a matter of the past and that it is time for political actors to face the current reality. His comments signaled a move away from post-election disputes toward the practical work of coalition building.

The outcome of the October 27 vote left the political field divided. Neither Netanyahu's coalition nor the bloc led by his main rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, secured the 61 seats necessary to govern alone. Netanyahu's camp won 53 seats, while Eisenkot's group obtained 48. This deadlock has opened the door for potential alliances, either between the two main rivals or between Eisenkot and the Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List, which together secured a record 19 seats.

Herzog began his consultation process on Wednesday night. Initial reactions from factions aligned with Netanyahu's religious-nationalist base have been mixed. Three such groups recommended that Netanyahu be given the opportunity to form a coalition. However, a fourth faction, led by a former ally who is now a rival of the prime minister, supported Eisenkot instead. Further meetings with eight additional parties, including the two major Arab-led groups, are scheduled for Thursday. Eisenkot's Yashar party and Netanyahu's Likud are expected to meet with the president last in the sequence.

Eisenkot's position has strengthened following an announcement by Ra’am, a major Arab-led party, which stated it would recommend him for the role. According to the Israeli news site Ynet, this endorsement brings his expected support to 56 lawmakers, though he still falls short of a majority. The Joint List, the other significant Arab-led party, has not yet declared its final stance. Reports from Israel's Channel 12 suggest the party may coordinate with Eisenkot, either by endorsing him directly or abstaining if he prefers, a move that could push his total past the required 61 seats.

In contrast, Netanyahu's bloc may not secure full support from all 53 members. Degel HaTorah, an ultra-Orthodox faction holding four of the seven seats in United Torah Judaism, indicated it would recommend neither candidate. This group broke ranks with Netanyahu over his coalition's failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi men from military service, as reported by The Times of Israel.

Once the consultations conclude, Herzog will select the candidate he believes is best positioned to assemble a governing coalition. This decision will almost certainly fall to either Netanyahu or Eisenkot. The president has several days to announce his choice. The selected nominee will then have 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a 14-day extension. If both leaders fail to form a stable cabinet, Israel will face another general election early next year.

Throughout the process, Netanyahu and his supporters have made repeated claims that Arab-led parties stole the election, sometimes alleging foreign assistance. However, Israel's elections commission stated on Wednesday that it had conducted a thorough investigation into all fraud claims. The commission found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the election or affected its final results. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara also rejected a request to question elected officials without supporting evidence.

Herzog urged both political camps to compromise to avoid a repeat election. He emphasized that not every promise made during the campaign can be fulfilled. The president called for originality, creativity, courage, and goodwill so that the State of Israel emerges as the winner in this complex political environment.

While supporting an investigation into suspected interference, Herzog warned against smearing Palestinian-Israeli voters. He expressed great respect for Israel's Palestinian minority, which constitutes about 20 percent of the population. The president condemned the coarseness and racist expressions that have been heard in recent days, aiming to set a tone of unity for the upcoming government formation process.