Israel's President Isaac Herzog is set to commence consultations with political parties on Wednesday evening to determine who should be tasked with forming the next government, following an election that produced no clear winner. The president received the official results from the Central Election Committee earlier in the day, setting the stage for a complex political negotiation.
A Divided Electorate
The election, held on 27 October, resulted in a fragmented Knesset, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc nor his rival Gadi Eisenkot's centrist alliance securing a majority. Netanyahu's Likud party, along with its far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, won 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while Eisenkot's Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his bloc captured 48 seats.
Notably, two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, achieved an unprecedented 19 seats, reflecting a surge in Arab voter turnout. This makes them potential kingmakers, though all but one of the Jewish parties have pledged not to cooperate with them.
President's Role and Appeal for Unity
While the role of Israel's president is largely ceremonial, after an election, they are responsible for inviting a Knesset member to form a government. That individual will have 28 days to build a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension. The president has broad discretion to choose the candidate they believe has the best chance of success, not necessarily the leader of the largest party.
In a ceremony in Jerusalem, Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg presented the official results to Herzog. Sohlberg addressed recent attempts to cast doubt on the election results, stating: "In recent days, we have heard voices trying to cast doubt on the election results and to undermine their legitimacy. This is a real danger. One of the foundations of democracy is the ability to have a peaceful transfer of power. This stems from the understanding that the will of the electorate obligates us all."
Herzog, in his remarks, emphasized the need to avoid another round of elections and to build a stable government. "In order to prevent another round of elections and to build a stable and good government here for the people of Israel, I expect the factions and their representatives to understand that, in the current reality, not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled," he said.
The president also expressed confidence in the Shin Bet security service's investigation into allegations of foreign interference in the election and called for patience. He warned that Arab Israelis, who constitute about one-fifth of the population and often identify as Palestinian citizens of Israel, "must not be smeared." He condemned recent racist expressions, saying, "I condemn the coarseness and racist expressions that we have heard recently. There is no place for them toward any community in Israel."
Foreign Interference Allegations
Earlier, Sohlberg told the Central Elections Committee that the Shin Bet's intelligence suggested a "widespread phenomenon involving the influx of substantial funds into Israel from foreign states," some of which were hostile. He believed further investigation was needed to "connect the dots and determine the scale of the phenomenon with a high degree of certainty."
Last week, Israeli media reported that the committee had been presented with a claim that Qatar had provided funding aimed at increasing voter turnout in Arab communities. Qatar's foreign ministry categorically denied the allegation.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party and an ally of the prime minister, called on the Shin Bet to arrest all leaders of Arab parties and interrogate them "until these suspicions are fully clarified." Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen accused Ben-Gvir and the prime minister of attempting to "steal the election from the public."
On Tuesday, Eisenkot alleged that Netanyahu and his Likud party were "trying to carry out a veritable pogrom against democracy and the rule of law." His comments came after Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected a reported demand by Shin Bet chief David Zini, an appointee of the prime minister, to interrogate four Arab politicians, saying no evidence of wrongdoing had been presented. Likud accused Baharav-Miara of trying to "obstruct the investigation and to cover up this serious case of manipulation of the electoral process by foreign actors."
As the consultation process begins, Israel stands at a critical juncture, with the president's decisions set to shape the country's political future amid deep divisions and allegations of external interference.
