Israeli President Isaac Herzog has urged the country’s political parties to enter negotiations on forming a new government with an “open heart,” as he prepares to consult with factions on a path forward after an uncertain election result. Last week’s elections saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc denied a majority, with the parties in his ruling coalition claiming 53 seats in Israel’s 120-member Knesset. Parties in the bloc aligned with Netanyahu’s main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats, leaving neither man with an obvious path to forming a government.
The balance of power is held by parties representing Israel’s minority Arab community, which nearly doubled its representation in Israel’s parliament with 19 seats. But both Netanyahu and Eisenkot had ruled out working with them prior to the vote. Netanyahu has since continued to attack the Arab parties, accusing them of holding stances on Gaza and the West Bank he considers unacceptable.
Eisenkot, however, has indicated he is open to working with anyone who agrees to four conditions on Israeli sovereignty and opposition to Hamas, potentially opening a path to a deal that could propel him to power and avoid fresh elections. While Netanyahu is the leader of the single largest party, it is up to Herzog — largely a ceremonial figure — to decide who has the first shot at forming a government. He will hold initial consultations with party officials on Wednesday, beginning a delicate process that could last weeks.
Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet has said it is investigating possible foreign interference in the election but that the probe was not intended to “cast aspersions” on any specific group. Arab party leaders have strongly denied any wrongdoing, while Herzog pushed party leaders to accept the election result. The election results are a fact.
And now is the time to call on all our leaders to stop climbing and face this reality.” The four conditions Eisenkot set out for prospective partners include recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, committing to the values of its independence, accepting mandatory military service for all Israeli citizens and recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization. He said on X that Abbas wants to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and evacuate Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, citing an old Ra’am policy platform. During the campaign, Netanyahu’s Likud party repeatedly alleged that Eisenkot would usher the Arab parties into power.
In one of several AI-generated videos posted by Netanyahu, Eisenkot was portrayed astride a wooden Trojan horse, with Abbas and left-wing politician Yair Golan inside. Abbas said Friday that he was coordinating with other Arab leaders on “the prospects for forming a government to replace the one led by Netanyahu.” Eisenkot’s anti-Netanyahu bloc contains a broad array of ideologies and views on the issue, ranging from Golan, who has publicly advocated for a deal with the Arab parties, to Avigdor Lieberman of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, who continues to oppose working with them. With that much friction, a stalemate and more elections remain a real possibility.
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