Israel's president begins consultations with parties after deadlocked election

Israeli President Isaac Herzog begins consultations with parliamentary factions on Wednesday evening to decide who should be tasked with forming a government. The talks follow the 27 October election to the Knesset, Israel's 120-seat parliament, in which neither major camp secured a majority.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies won 53 seats. Gadi Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his bloc won 48. Two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, together took an unprecedented 19 seats after a rise in Arab voter turnout. That could make them kingmakers, but nearly all Jewish parties pledged before the vote not to work with them.

The president's role

The presidency is largely ceremonial, but after an election the president invites a Knesset member to form a government. That person has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension. The president has wide discretion and can pick whoever seems most likely to build a coalition, not necessarily the leader of the largest party.

On Wednesday, Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg presented Herzog with the official results in Jerusalem. He warned against efforts to cast doubt on the result's legitimacy. Herzog urged the factions to recognise that, in the current reality, not every promise can be kept, in order to avoid another election.

Foreign interference claims

Sohlberg said intelligence from Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, pointed to a widespread influx of substantial funds from foreign states, some hostile, and that more investigation was needed. Last week Israeli media reported that the committee had been presented with a claim that Qatar funded efforts to raise turnout in Arab communities; Qatar's foreign ministry categorically denied it.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a Netanyahu ally, called for the arrest of all Arab party leaders. Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen accused him and the prime minister of trying to steal the election. Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected a reported demand by Shin Bet chief David Zini to interrogate four Arab politicians, saying no evidence had been presented. Herzog condemned racist expressions toward Arab Israelis, who make up about one fifth of the population.