OMM Newsroom
An Israeli television channel reported Wednesday that a power-sharing proposal is taking shape under which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lead the next government for two years before handing power to opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot. In return, Netanyahu would retire from politics and receive a full pardon in connection with his ongoing corruption cases, Anadolu Agency reported.
“Channel 14” said President Isaac Herzog was seeking to advance the arrangement, which could open the way to forming a government after Tuesday’s inconclusive parliamentary elections. The channel said Herzog had promoted the proposal for two years, before the election campaign and the announcement of the results.
The proposal could become a viable option if the current distribution of parliamentary seats remains unchanged, the channel reported. It added that Netanyahu would likely insist on serving as prime minister for the first two years so he could continue working alongside US President Donald Trump.
Herzog’s office categorically denied the report, calling it “a complete lie.”
“It never happened. We do not engage in speculation regarding the process of assigning the task of forming a government,” the office said.
The office added that official election results would not be presented to Herzog until next Wednesday. He would then begin consultations with parliamentary factions in accordance with his constitutional authority.
Preliminary results released Wednesday evening, with 85% of votes counted excluding special ballots, showed Netanyahu’s bloc winning 53 seats, compared with 48 for the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party. Arab parties won 19 seats, according to “Channel 12”.
The results leave all sides short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Vote counting is continuing, including ballots cast by soldiers, prisoners, diplomats and voters in hospital.
The Central Elections Committee said Tuesday that turnout reached 77.7%, up 7.1 percentage points from the 2022 elections and the highest level since 1999.
Netanyahu has been on trial for years on corruption charges involving bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
He has led a far-right government since late 2022, widely described as the most extreme in Israel’s history.
