Israeli President Moves Ahead With Coalition Talks After Accepting Election Results
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President Isaac Herzog said the certified Knesset election results stand and opened consultations with party leaders to choose a coalition builder, while allegations of foreign interference remain under review but unproven.
President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday confirmed that the certified results of last week’s Knesset elections are legally binding and began a round of consultations with party representatives to decide 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 said its inquiry found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the vote. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who heads the elections committee, repeated that although suspicions of foreign funding remain, they have not been proven to have affected the outcome, and he warned that undermining the results could erode public trust.
Netanyahu’s Likud party did not comment on the president’s move. The Shin Bet intelligence service continues a separate investigation into possible foreign financial influence, but it has not produced 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, leaving open 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 choose the candidate he believes is 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.