Israeli President to Meet Netanyahu and Eisenkot as Coalition Talks Near Decision

President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to meet Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival Gadi Eisenkot on Thursday, with less than a week remaining before he selects a candidate to try to assemble a government. The recent election left Netanyahu’s Likud bloc with 53 seats and Eisenkot’s Change bloc with 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while Arab-Israeli parties hold a combined 19 seats, making them potential kingmakers.

In Israel’s system, the largely ceremonial president determines which candidate has the best chance of building a stable coalition. Turnout among Arab Israelis rose to about 80%, reshaping the parliamentary balance.

Yousef Jabareen, leader of the main Palestinian coalition, said Arab voters “are not choosing between good and better but between what we see as bad and even worse.” He added that voters’ primary demand was the removal of the current government and its most extreme ministers.

Eisenkot has indicated that any coalition with Arab parties would require recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, acceptance of compulsory national service, and a denunciation of Hamas. The Joint List has suggested supporting an opposition from outside the government, while Ra’am expressed willingness to join an Eisenkot-led cabinet.

Herzog, after meeting delegations from smaller parties, urged all factions to help avoid another election. “Any reasonable person need only look at the security and diplomatic challenges before us… to understand that an immense responsibility rests upon us,” he said.

Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister until a coalition is formed or a new election is called. He has questioned the vote’s integrity, alleging irregularities involving Arab-Israeli parties, claims that the Central Election Committee and its head, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, have rejected, emphasizing the importance of a peaceful transfer of power.