Israeli President Accepts Election Results and Starts Government Formation Talks

President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday affirmed that the certified results of last week’s Knesset elections are legally binding and launched a series of consultations with party representatives to determine who will be tasked with forming a new government. Herzog said, "The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality."

The elections commission reported that its investigation found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the vote. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, head of the elections committee, reiterated that while suspicions of foreign funding exist, they have not been proven to affect the outcome and warned that casting doubt on the results could damage public trust.

Netanyahu’s Likud party did not comment on the president’s move. The Shin Bet intelligence service continues a separate probe into possible foreign financial influence, though it has not presented concrete evidence. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected a request to interrogate elected officials without sufficient justification.

In the October 27 vote, 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 religious-nationalist factions recommended Netanyahu for coalition talks, while a fourth, led by a former ally of Netanyahu, suggested Eisenkot. Additional parties, including the two Arab-led factions, are scheduled to meet Herzog later in the week.

Herzog will select the candidate he believes most likely to assemble a governing coalition, with a decision expected within days. If no viable coalition emerges, a new election could be called for early next year.