OMM Newsroom
Israeli President Isaac Herzog began consultations with political parties on forming a new government after the October 27 election, AnewZ reported. Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his rival Gadi Eisenkot secured a parliamentary majority.
Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its far-right, ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties secured a combined 48 seats. A majority of 61 seats is required to form a government.
Two alliances led by Arab parties — the United Arab List and the Joint List — won a record 19 seats after a sharp increase in turnout among Arab voters. Their combined representation could prove decisive in forming a government. However, all but one of the Jewish parties had rejected cooperation with Arab parties before the election.
At a ceremony in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Herzog received the official election results from Noam Solberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee and a judge. The president announced that consultations with the parties would begin that evening and called for compromise to avoid another election.
“I expect the factions and their representatives to understand that, under the current circumstances, not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled, in order to prevent another round of elections and form a stable, good government here for the people of Israel,” Herzog said.
Although the Israeli presidency is largely ceremonial, the president has the authority to invite a member of the Knesset to form a government after an election. That person is given 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. The president has broad discretion to choose the person he believes has the best chance of building a coalition and is not required to select the leader of the party that won the most seats.
Amid disputes over the election results, Netanyahu’s allies made unsubstantiated claims that Arab parties had “stolen” the election. Election officials said there was no evidence of irregularities that would justify delaying certification of the results.
At Wednesday’s ceremony, Solberg warned against attempts to undermine public confidence in the election.
“In recent days, we have heard voices trying to question the election results and undermine their legitimacy. This is a real danger,” Solberg said.
“One of the foundations of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power. This stems from the understanding that the voters’ will is binding on all of us,” he added.
Israel’s Shin Bet security service is investigating claims of foreign interference in the election. Solberg said intelligence gathered by the agency pointed to “a large-scale incident involving the flow of significant funds” into Israel, including from some states considered hostile to the country. He stressed, however, that the allegations would not substantially change the election results.
Solberg said further investigation was needed to establish the scale of the incident with a high degree of confidence and to determine whether individual facts were connected. Israeli media reported last week that the Central Elections Committee had received allegations that Qatar provided funding to boost voter turnout in Arab communities. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry categorically denied the claim.
Herzog said he trusted the Shin Bet’s investigation and urged the public to be patient while the allegations were examined. He also warned against targeting Arab Israelis, who make up about one-fifth of Israel’s population and often identify as Palestinian citizens of Israel.
“They should not be tarnished because of these allegations,” the president said.
“I condemn the crude and racist language we have heard recently. There is no place in Israel for such language against any community,” Herzog said.
The investigation has also heightened tensions between Netanyahu’s allies and opposition politicians. Far-right National Security Minister and Jewish Power party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir called on the Shin Bet to arrest Arab party leaders and question them until all suspicions were clarified.
Joint List chairman Youssef Jabareen accused Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu of trying to “take the election away from the people.” On Tuesday, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu and Likud of “trying to carry out a real pogrom against democracy and the rule of law.”
Before Eisenkot’s statement, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected a request from Shin Bet chief David Zini, appointed by Netanyahu, to question four Arab politicians. Baharav-Miara said no evidence of wrongdoing that would justify questioning them had been presented.
Likud, in turn, accused the attorney general of trying to “obstruct the investigation and cover up this serious case of foreign powers interfering in the electoral process.”
With no political bloc holding a majority, Herzog’s consultations will determine which lawmaker gets the first opportunity to form a government and whether the parties can reach an agreement without holding a new election.
