Israel's president opens coalition talks after split vote
Israeli President Isaac Herzog began consultations on Wednesday on who will be tasked with forming a new government after the 27 Oct parliamentary election. Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc, with 53 seats, nor Gadi Eisenkot's bloc, with 48, reached the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Arab-minority parties won 19 seats and are seen as potential kingmakers. Herzog meets the smaller parties first, with talks running until Thursday evening, and the chosen candidate will then have 28 days to form a government.
Key facts
- Israel's attorney general asked the Shin Bet to share its probe into alleged electoral fraud by Arab-Israeli parties.
- The election committee found no cases challenging the integrity of the vote despite fraud complaints.
- Herzog urged both sides to accept that not every commitment can be fulfilled and to avoid new elections.
- Eisenkot won the endorsement of a major Arab party and said he would deepen US-Israel ties if chosen.
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Why it matters
No bloc holds a majority, so the choice of prime-ministerial candidate depends on the smaller parties, including Arab-minority lists.
What changed
First published from Anadolu Agency, Al-Monitor, Bangkok Post, The Straits Times and CNA