Israeli President Herzog Accepts Election Results and Starts Coalition Talks
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President Isaac Herzog confirmed the certified parliamentary election results as binding and began consultations with party leaders to appoint a coalition-forming candidate.
President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday affirmed that the certified results of Israel's recent parliamentary election are legally binding and launched consultations with party representatives to identify a candidate who can form a new government. Herzog said, "The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality."
The elections commission reported no evidence of irregularities that would have compromised the vote, while a separate Shin Bet intelligence assessment noted a "widespread phenomenon" of foreign funds entering Israel, though no proof was provided that such inflows affected the outcome. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, head of the elections committee, warned that casting doubt on the results could damage public trust, which is "easy to destroy, yet very difficult to repair."
In the Oct. 27 ballot, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot secured a majority, opening the possibility of a coalition between the two rivals or between Eisenkot and Arab-led parties. Three Netanyahu-aligned factions recommended he be given a chance to form a government, while a fourth faction backed Eisenkot. Eight additional parties, including the two Arab-led factions, are slated to meet Herzog on Thursday. After the consultations, Herzog will select the candidate he believes most likely to assemble a coalition, with a decision expected within several days. If no coalition is formed, a new election could be called early next year.
The Shin Bet sought permission to interrogate senior Arab lawmakers as part of its foreign-interference probe, but Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected the request, stating that such action is not permissible without evidence. The Joint List of Arab parties denounced the request as an attempt to delegitimize the Arab vote. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the arrest and interrogation of Arab party leaders, a suggestion Herzog rejected, condemning recent "coarseness and racist expressions" and urging that Arab Israeli voters not be smeared.