Herzog begins coalition talks after Israel election deadlock
Israel’s president urged compromise after no bloc won a Knesset majority, while 19 Arab-alliance seats could shape who can form a government.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog began consultations with political parties in Jerusalem on 4 November to decide whom to invite to form a government, after Israel’s 27 October election produced no clear winner. He urged party leaders to compromise to avoid another election, according to straitstimes.com, which published Isabel Kershner’s report; the BBC also reported that the consultations had begun.
Neither main bloc won a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies won 53 seats, the BBC reported. Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist bloc won 48, while two Arab-led alliances together took 19 seats, an unprecedented combined result, according to the BBC. Those seats could matter in coalition negotiations, although all but one of the Jewish parties had pledged before the vote not to form a government with the Arab-led parties.
How Herzog can choose a candidate
The presidency is largely ceremonial, but after an election Herzog invites a Knesset member to try to form a government. He has discretion to select the person he believes has the best chance of assembling a coalition; he is not required to choose the leader of the largest party. The candidate gets 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, the BBC reported. Herzog told party leaders that “not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled” if they want to avoid another election.
Election claims and warnings against smears
The Central Elections Committee presented the official results to Herzog on Wednesday morning. Its chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, said electoral officials had found no evidence of irregularities and that claims from Netanyahu’s camp did not justify delaying certification, according to the BBC. Separately, the Shin Bet security service was investigating allegations of foreign interference. Sohlberg said the inquiry would not fundamentally change the outcome, while noting that investigators needed more work to establish the scale of the suspected activity.
Herzog called on people to be patient with the investigation and condemned racist expressions directed at Arab Israelis, saying they “must not be smeared,” the BBC reported. The consultations now put the choice of a first government-forming candidate in focus, but the seat totals and pre-election pledges leave coalition-building uncertain.
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Sources and context
- Israel’s president holds crucial cards in breaking post-election deadlockThe Straits Times; byline Isabel Kershner, with the canonical article URL pointing to The New York Times
- Israel's president begins consultations with parties after election deadlockBBC News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.