Israeli President Isaac Herzog has accepted the certified results of last week’s parliamentary elections and begun consultations with party leaders to determine who will be tasked with forming a new government. The move dealt a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to discredit the vote.
The transition follows the October 27 national vote, which left the 120-seat Knesset without a clear majority for either the prime minister or his chief rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot. Herzog’s decision to move forward with the mandate process serves as a significant check on Netanyahu’s efforts to cast doubt on the election’s legitimacy. Israel’s elections commission stated on Wednesday that it does not believe any alleged interference affected the election results, while President Isaac Herzog cautioned against smearing Palestinian-Israeli voters.
The Arithmetic of a Fragile Coalition
Neither the pro-Netanyahu bloc—which secured 53 seats—nor the opposition led by Eisenkot—which holds 48—reached the 61-seat threshold required for a governing majority. This stalemate has placed decisive influence in the hands of smaller factions and Arab-led parties, which made historic gains.
| Political Bloc/Party | Key Status | Seats Held |
|---|---|---|
| Netanyahu Bloc | Includes Likud | 53 |
| Eisenkot Bloc | Includes Yashar | 48 |
| Arab-led parties (Ra’am and Joint List) | Ra’am backing Eisenkot; Joint List undecided | 19 (record combined total) |
| Degel HaTorah | Undecided/Split | 4 |
According to The Times of Israel, the process of forming a government involves consultations with party leaders to determine which candidate is best placed to assemble a coalition. While Ra’am has declared its intention to recommend Eisenkot, the Joint List remains the wildcard; its potential support or abstention could prove decisive in pushing the opposition past the 61-seat mark. Conversely, Netanyahu’s own base is showing signs of fragmentation, with the ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah faction withholding support due to disputes over military service exemption legislation.
Shin Bet Investigates Limited Foreign Interference Allegations
The Shin Bet is investigating allegations of potential foreign interference, and officials have cautioned that these suspicions, even if substantiated, appear limited in scope and impact. Herzog himself has firmly pushed back against rhetoric targeting the country’s Palestinian-Israeli minority, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of the population.
The push for Jewish-Arab political cooperation has moved to the center of the debate. Civic movements like Zazim have mobilized nearly 50,000 citizens to advocate for government structures that include Arab parties, arguing that the future of Israeli democracy is inseparable from the question of cross-communal political partnership.
The Road to the President’s Residence
Consultations are set to conclude following a final round of meetings on Thursday. The president is tasked by law with selecting the candidate he deems most likely to succeed in the 28-day window provided for coalition negotiations.
For now, the focus remains on the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where each faction is presenting its recommendation. With the formal consultations nearing their end, the next move belongs to Herzog.
Parties Begin Formal Consultations at President Residence
The formal consultation process began Wednesday night with the smallest factions, including Religious Zionism, Shas, Yisrael Beytenu, and Zehut. The meetings are being livestreamed in Hebrew from the President’s Residence. On Thursday, the schedule includes United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, the Democrats, Ra’am, the Joint List, and B’Yachad. The sessions conclude with Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.
While Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats, the Degel HaTorah faction—holding four of United Torah Judaism’s seven seats—has declared it will recommend neither candidate. Meanwhile, Eisenkot’s path remains narrow; even with the support of Ra’am, his backing reached only 56 lawmakers, according to Ynet. Channel 12 reported that the Joint List is expected to coordinate with Eisenkot, potentially endorsing him or abstaining to help him reach the 61-seat threshold.
Amid these negotiations, the civic movement Zazim has highlighted that nearly 50,000 Israelis have joined a campaign for a government supported by Arab parties. Zazim CEO Raluca Ganea stated, Public support for Jewish-Arab political cooperation is much greater than the political debate suggests.
The movement emphasized that Arab parties must be treated as legitimate partners in the wake of the election results, which saw members of the Arab-majority Joint List gathering at their Nazareth headquarters to monitor exit polls.
As the president weighs his decision, he has emphasized the need for compromise, noting, In the current reality, in which there is no clear winner after the elections, I ask for originality and creativity, courage and goodwill, so that the State of Israel emerges the winner.
